


Magical Mystery Tour

by soulfulsin



Series: Darkly Dawns [2]
Category: Darkwing Duck (Cartoon 1991), DuckTales (Cartoon 2017)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-22
Updated: 2019-05-18
Packaged: 2019-11-28 02:50:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 30,947
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18202499
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soulfulsin/pseuds/soulfulsin
Summary: Sequel to Darkly Dawns the Duo.Huey, Webby, and Gosalyn free Lena from the stasis holding both her and Magica hostage...which leads to some unintended consequences. Meanwhile, Negaduck has a new plan to hurt Darkwing--target the ones he cares about.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I actually have a few chapters for this under my belt, so bully for me. XD

“You do know we’re not supposed to be in here, right?” Huey said, frowning at Webby and Gosalyn. The two girls were staring determinedly at Lena, who had managed to turn around in the time between finding her before and now. She was still mouthing “help me”, which was disconcerting. He wanted to help her, he did, but the only person he could think of who might be able to do anything was Gyro. Did he want to enlist Gyro’s help? Gyro could be prickly at the best of times.  
  
“She shouldn’t be stuck like this, either,” Webby countered, reaching out to touch Lena but encountering a force field. About a minute later, Lena’s face slowly fell.  
  
“Maybe we could just shut it off?” Gosalyn suggested, glancing about the small room. “There must be a switch somewhere.”  
  
“Uncle Scrooge had a very good reason for keeping her in stasis,” Huey argued.  
  
“You seriously think it’s a good idea to keep a kid like us trapped for fifteen years?” Gosalyn argued. “Look at her. She’s miserable. We have to set her free.”  
  
“I don’t think we should be doing anything until we know what we’re dealing with. If we release her, we risk unleashing Magica onto Duckburg too. And who knows what will happen,” Huey said.  
  
“She’s been trapped in there for fifteen years,” Gosalyn said. “Fifteen. Years. It’s like a fridge horror moment, except it’s forever.”  
  
“Given the speed she’s going at, at least it hasn’t felt like fifteen years?” he offered.  
  
“That’s not good enough,” Gosalyn retorted. She was warming to her subject, he could tell, and he had the dread feeling he might have encouraged her. Webby was inspecting the apparatus that held Lena in stasis. The ominous sensation in the pit of his stomach expanded. Oh, no. Oh, no, no, no.  
  
The apparatus in question was a stone monolith with a sparkling gem at its center. It was inscribed in runes that Huey couldn’t read, though Webby seemed to be able to decipher it. Her finger traced the words as her eyes scanned the stone.  
  
“She’s in prison and she didn’t even do anything wrong,” Gosalyn added. “She’s a kid like us and you’re letting her be miserable. Now that you know she’s miserable, your not doing anything to stop or fix it is almost as bad as her being in there in the first place.”  
  
“How do you figure that?” Huey asked and then jerked his head. “Webby, no. Don’t mess with magic you don’t understand.”  
  
“I understand it,” Webby said just before she ripped the gem out of the stone tablet. It crumbled into ash at her fingertips and, at once, things began to happen. The lights flickered and died, a woman cackled into the darkness, and a girl took a deep, gasping breath before collapsing to her knees. The lights came back on a minute later, but Huey feared the damage was already done. The woman cackling had sent chills down his spine.  
  
“Wait, what?” the girl gasped, having fallen to her hands and knees now. She blinked rapidly and the light appeared to hurt her eyes because she raised a hand to her forehead. The sudden movement took her by surprise too and she crashed to the floor.  
  
“Guys, this really wasn’t a good idea,” Huey said.  
  
“Too late to worry about it now,” Gosalyn scoffed and smiled at her sister. “Good going, Webs.”  
  
Webby was gazing at Lena and she knelt down to offer her a hand up. Lena stared blankly at it as if she’d never seen another hand before. Considering Huey didn’t know how long she’d been around before Uncle Scrooge had shoved her into stasis, it was possible she hadn’t. Gosalyn’s words gnawed at him. Even if Webby hadn’t taken the initiative, he would’ve felt guilty leaving her like that.  
  
Lena seemed to be taking a long time to adjust to her new reality. She was trembling all over, like a skittish colt, and when she raised herself up slightly, she crashed back down. The abrupt movement, after being stuck in slow motion for so long, must’ve been jarring. Gosalyn shot Huey a look as if it was his fault his great-uncle had put Lena in a magically enforced prison for fifteen years.  
  
Lena’s breathing came faster and faster until he recognized the signs--she was about to hyperventilate. Webby scooped her up off the floor, which only worsened the condition. Again, they didn’t know how long she’d been conscious before being shoved into the containment field. Gosalyn was right. It was a fridge horror moment.  
  
“You’re okay, you’re okay,” Webby reassured her, rubbing her back. Lena gasped, beak quivering, and pulled away from her. She tripped over her own feet and fell onto the floor again. Her eyes were huge.  
  
“Guys, give her some space,” Huey advised. “Give her a minute to breathe and figure out what’s going on.”  
  
Gosalyn stared at her and Huey huffed.  
  
“And stop looking at her like a circus freak,” he reprimanded.  
  
Gosalyn huffed but looked away. Webby’s gaze was earnest and, after about five minutes, Lena was able to return it. She rose to her feet again and this time she didn’t fall. However, her eyes still darted about the room like mad. What was she looking for, exactly?  
  
“Where is she?” Lena demanded. “Where’s Magica?”  
  
“We might’ve accidentally released her when we saved you,” Gosalyn said, chagrined. “But it’s fine. How far could she go?”  
  
Lena groaned and her chest heaved, looking like she was one step away from another panic attack. Webby and Gosalyn had been well-intentioned, but this was a lot to dump on someone who had essentially woken up from a fifteen-year nightmare. They might’ve been taking it a bit too fast.  
  
“Take it easy,” Huey advised. “We’re here to help. I’m Huey, the redhead is Gosalyn, and the other girl is Webby.”  
  
“Right,” Lena said and held her hands to her head. She forced a smile that looked painful. “We need to figure out where Magica went.”  
  
“Like I said, how far could she have gotten? She’s just a shadow,” Gosalyn snorted.  
  
“A shadow that’s no longer attached to me,” Lena answered. “One that’s free to wreak havoc all over wherever we are.”  
  
“You don’t know where we are?” Huey said, surprised.  
  
“The last thing I remember was being born out of a magical melee on Mount Vesuvius. Everything after that is blurry until you woke me up,” Lena said and put her hands on her hips.  
  
“What I don’t get is how Magica detached herself from Lena,” he said. “That was the whole reason she was in stasis, to keep Magica from running free. The instant we release her, Magica vanishes?”  
  
“She didn’t vanish,” Lena said. “She’s looking for a host.”  
  
“Wait, what?” Huey said.  
  
“You mean like a demon?” Gosalyn asked, sounding enamored with the idea. Huey, however, was less enthusiastic. Honestly, the idea of being possessed was unnerving. It figured Gosalyn was into all that macabre mumbo-jumbo.  
  
“...yes…” Lena said though she looked uncertain. “No. I don’t know. You have to forgive me. I’ve only technically been alive for five minutes.”  
  
This last she said accusingly at Huey. Great, another girl was blaming him for what Uncle Scrooge had done. How was this even remotely his fault? He hadn’t even been alive when Lena had come into being.  
  
“Then how do you know she’s looking for a host?” Webby asked.  
  
“Because that was why she was latched onto me,” Lena said. “She had plans for me and then you destroyed the tablet and broke the spell over us. But you also left her free to find someone else to latch onto, someone she must have a familiarity with.”  
  
“Who does Magica have familiarity with? Besides Uncle Scrooge?” Huey asked of no one in particular.  
  
Lena shook her head. She searched for somewhere to sit down, but now that she was out of stasis, the room was empty. Her breathing was none too steady and her legs quaked. Webby let her lean on her.  
  
“We can’t tell Mr. McDuck what happened here,” Webby said.  
  
“Unless he already knows because Magica ran out cackling,” Huey pointed out with a scowl. “What were you two thinking? Honestly.”  
  
“If Scrooge knows Magica’s here, it’s already too late,” Lena said with a head shake. She frowned again, looking dizzy, and then crashed back to the floor. Gravity was clearly not her friend here. Then again, it was probably disorienting to move at normal speed after being trapped for so long.  
  
“I’m gonna...just...stay here for a bit…” she said. “The floor’s cool.”  
  
“Are you okay?” Webby asked, cocking her head at her. Lena gave her a look as if to say she was asking a rather stupid question. Huey agreed.  
  
“Guys, we can’t keep her here,” Huey said. “Uncle Scrooge is going to notice the next time he comes into the Other Bin that something’s happened.”  
  
“No alarms went off,” Gosalyn argued. “He wouldn’t know unless he checked in and how is he supposed to know that something’s gone wrong in a huge warehouse worth of stuff?”  
  
“We can’t keep Lena here,” Huey retorted. “She has to eat and sleep like a normal person. And sooner or later, Mrs. Beakley would notice if we kept sneaking off.”  
  
“Maybe we should’ve thought this through a little better,” Gosalyn admitted sheepishly. “But what’s done is done. We can’t put the cat back into the bag.”  
  
Lena wasn’t hyperventilating anymore; she was staring at them curiously. She made no motion to leave the floor. Perhaps the floor felt safer than standing right now. He didn’t blame her.  
  
“So what do we do now, hmm?” Huey said.  
  
“We could keep her in my room,” Webby suggested. “Or in the closet.”  
  
“Yes, that’s what I’ve always wanted,” Lena deadpanned. “To live in your closet.”  
  
“How do you know what sarcasm is already?” Huey asked.  
  
“I was born this way,” Lena said with a shrug. “Deal with it, red.”  
  
“We’ll figure it out later,” Gosalyn scoffed. “Let’s just get out of here before someone notices we’re gone. Or tells on us.”  
  
“Dewey and Louie won’t tell on us,” Huey said with more confidence than he felt. Louie wouldn’t if he felt like it’d give him an edge over Huey. He didn’t need his youngest brother lording something over him.  
  
“Then let’s go,” Gosalyn said.  
  
“I think you’re forgetting something,” Lena said. “I can barely stand. How do you propose to walk me through...wherever I am?”  
  
“I’ll carry you,” Webby said and then scooped Lena up like a bride over the threshold. “See?”  
  
Lena’s eyes met Webby’s. “I barely know you and I don’t even know what to make of you, pink.”  
  
Webby blushed.  
  


* * *

  
  
Darkwing Duck was pacing his lair and thinking aloud to Launchpad, who had recovered from his beating at Bulba’s hands. Okay, perhaps “recovered” wasn’t quite the right word. He was still bandaged and moved slowly, but he was capable of getting around now. Launchpad’s gaze was full of hero worship, which Darkwing appreciated but which wasn’t terribly useful at the moment.  
  
At present, St. Canard was under another blackout. Ever since the month began, there had been rolling blackouts, the type that one normally saw in the summer, not late winter/early spring. Since the sun was still up, he could see where he was pacing, but once the sun went down, the criminals ran amuck. He would have suspected Megavolt for this--he was the obvious choice--but Megavolt was locked up in St. Canard’s jail pending trial for his last act. It left Darkwing baffled, because who else had an affinity with electricity? Or was this unrelated to electricity after all and someone was experimenting?  
  
Of course, it could’ve been his arch-nemesis, Negaduck. Of his evil counterpart, he had seen little since he’d adopted Gosalyn a couple months ago. It was odd, too, because it was unlike Negaduck to lay low. Since when did he care about staying off Darkwing’s radar? They might be identical twins separated at hatching, but their shared arrogance and cockiness ensured they were always in each other’s orbit. No, Negaduck’s absence made absolutely no sense.  
  
Negaduck was one of the few villains that hadn’t made an appearance on the old Darkwing Duck show, from which Drake Mallard had taken his moniker. That was because Negaduck was Drake’s foe, not his father’s. Megavolt, Quackerjack, and Liquidator had all had previous incarnations, which was disturbing if Darkwing stopped to think about it. He didn’t. Jim Starling had died doing one of his stunts as Darkwing Duck and Darkwing had sworn to avenge him, especially as it had been a combination of Megavolt’s father and Liquidator’s uncle that had destroyed him.  
  
How did supervillains end up duplicating themselves, anyway? You’d think one would’ve been a cautionary tale to keep the other from happening again. Oh, well, that didn’t matter right now. He pivoted, glancing over at Launchpad. The pilot had had nothing to offer him; the adulation was appreciated.  
  
“Hey, DW,” Launchpad mused, absently tracing a circle on the Ratcatcher. “Where does Negaduck go when he’s not in St. Canard?”  
  
“I…” Darkwing faltered. “That’s a good question, LP.”  
  
“I do come up with them once in a while.”  
  
“Lightning has to strike somewhere once in a while,” Darkwing muttered. Still, that was a good question. Simply because Darkwing hadn’t rooted out Negaduck’s present location didn’t mean he wasn’t still in St. Canard. Or if he had left town, where would he have gone? He was the leader of the Fearsome Five and with these blackouts, robberies and felony crimes had skyrocketed. It wasn’t safe to be out at night in St. Canard now. There were too many crimes for even Darkwing and, on occasion, Gizmoduck too, to handle. The police had their hands full too.  
  
“Who stands to benefit from all of this chaos? FOWL’s not an issue right now, not after we defeated Bulba and Doofus Drake…” Darkwing mused.  
  
“You think someone’s enabling them?” Launchpad offered.  
  
“Two excellent suggestions in a row,” Darkwing said and then stared at his sidekick. “Who are you and what have you done with Launchpad?”  
  
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Launchpad answered.  
  
“I’d have been shocked if you did,” he said, shaking his head.  
  
The villain could have someone on the inside to ensure that the power grid remained knocked out at night, every night. Could Megavolt be working this even through the jail? Had someone sprung him without consulting Darkwing first? Every time he came up with an answer, it felt like a thousand more questions sprang up in its wake. This was so frustrating.  
  
“We’ll start with the St. Canard jail first,” Darkwing said. He paused. “You, uh, you don’t have any appointments with Scrooge McDuck that I need to worry about, do you? He was not happy the last time I ‘borrowed’ you for an afternoon without telling him.”  
  
“I don’t think so,” Launchpad answered. He checked his phone. “Nope. Free all day.”  
  
“Good,” Darkwing said. “Grab your helmet, LP, and let’s get dangerous.”  
  
They pulled out of the secret lair, down the bridge, and into town. From there, streetlights flickered, though they shouldn’t have been on in the day in the first place. Electronic displays sputtered, died, and sprang back to life. Quackerjack’s toys were running rampant, causing chaos wherever they went. He parked the Ratcatcher and sidestepped a line of tin soldiers marching with bayonets thrust upward. You could poke someone’s eye out with one of those. Or, considering that they came up to his thighs, something lower and much more painful.  
  
“They’re getting bold, to do this in the daytime,” Darkwing commented as they rounded the corner, passed a drugstore, a comic bookstore (where they were still selling his comics), and onto the police station. He heaved the door open and let Launchpad in. The police station was frenetic, so active that no one noticed their entrance. Darkwing cleared his throat. No one paid him any mind. None of the officers were even looking in their direction.  
  
Darkwing cleared his throat louder. “Ahem! Who do I have to yell at to get some attention around here?”  
  
Finally, one of the police officers, a bull, condescended to look at him. After Darkwing’s recent experience with Taurus Bulba, he gulped. The bull glowered at him and Darkwing smiled sheepishly. Maybe he should’ve been a tad less aggressive. He stepped up to the window with Launchpad at his heels.  
  
“Hey, uh, quick question,” Darkwing said. “Is Megavolt still down in your holding cell?”  
  
The bull stared so long and hard at Darkwing that he feared he had something in his teeth. Or else someone had attached a sign to his back.  
  
“Is something wrong?” Darkwing asked.  
  
Wordlessly, the bull beckoned him to follow him down to where the holding cells were. Or, rather, where they’d been. Now, instead of a hallway full of criminals awaiting sentencing, the wind blew in through a giant hole in the wall. It was chilly, too, and Darkwing hugged himself for warmth.  
  
“Does that answer your question?” the bull demanded. There wasn’t even a holding cell anymore. The hole in the wall had taken out the entire back wall, leaving only bits and pieces remaining. Darkwing envied Launchpad his bomber jacket.  
  
“What happened here? And why wasn’t I informed?” he demanded, testy.  
  
“One, because this is a private police matter,” the bull responded and his eyes narrowed. “And two, we don’t like vigilantes here.”  
  
“You let Gizmoduck work here!”  
  
“Gizmoduck’s mother is a police officer. Your father got himself killed fighting Liquidator and Megavolt. Excuse me for not being impressed.”  
  
Darkwing bristled. “I don’t tell you how to do your job.”  
  
“You literally just did.”  
  
“All the criminals we had captured are somewhere in St. Canard. They have been aided by the Fearsome Five, in collaboration with Negaduck,” the bull responded. Darkwing couldn’t help but notice that he had a mustard stain on his lapel. That appealed to his petty vindictiveness right now. How dare this police sergeant bring up Jim Starling like that?  
  
“Negaduck’s around too?” Darkwing snapped.  
  
“It’s been a long week.”  
  
The bull ushered Darkwing out into the main lobby. “Fix the power grid and get the criminals in line. Then we’ll talk. Darkwing Duck.”  
  
The last he spat like an epithet. Darkwing glowered.  
  
“Yeah, well, at least I’m not wearing what I ate for lunch on my uniform,” he said haughtily as they left the station.  
  
“Was that really necessary, DW?” Launchpad asked.  
  
“He took a potshot at my dad,” Darkwing retorted. “Of course it was necessary.”  
  
“What do we do now?” Thankfully, Launchpad seemed content to let the topic die for the time being. That was one good thing about him. He didn’t pry all that often. He was also a complete airhead, which Darkwing still hadn’t decided was a good quality or not.  
  
“Figure out where the others might have gone. Speaking of that, where is Gosalyn? She’s supposed to be back at the house for dinner in an hour.”  
  
“I brought her to McDuck Manor, remember?”  
  
“Jeez, it’s a sad day when I need you to stimulate my memory,” he muttered. “C’mon. We’d better pick her up and hope she hasn’t broken anything we need to pay for.”  
  
Truth be told, if she had, he wouldn’t have the money. And Scrooge was already garnishing Launchpad’s wages for one thing or another, so he couldn’t exactly hit him up for money. Not that Launchpad was getting paid a lot, to begin with. Scrooge McDuck was a legendary spendthrift. Since he’d hired Launchpad before he’d gotten his driver’s license and possibly his piloting license too, he’d been paying him under the table. Darkwing wouldn’t have been surprised if Launchpad was making below minimum wage. He wasn’t complaining because he was happy go lucky, but Darkwing would’ve been.  
  
“Aw, what’s the worst that could happen?”  
  
“Do you really want to know?” Darkwing said and glowered at him. “Complete bedlam. That’s what.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magica finds a new (unwilling) host and Negaduck conspires against Darkwing.

Gosalyn looked distinctly guilty when they approached the manor. He knew immediately she’d been doing something she shouldn’t have been. He raised his eyebrows at her and she flashed him an innocent smile that fooled no one. Drake narrowed his eyes at her and glanced over at the other kids. Dewey and Louie appeared oblivious; Louie was fussing with his phone as usual and Dewey was taking selfies. Huey, Gosalyn, and Webby, however, had clearly been dabbling in something forbidden.

 

“All right. What happened?” he asked.

 

Louie looked up from his phone with interest.

 

“Nothing happened!” Huey exclaimed too quickly.

 

“We didn’t do anything. I have no idea what he’s so excited about,” Gosalyn lied.

 

“I wasn’t hatched yesterday, Gosalyn,” Drake said. “What happened? I’ll ask it one more time before I started poking around.”

 

“We might’ve unleashed evil on the world when we released a teenage girl from her magical confinement,” Webby blurted and Gosalyn facepalmed.

 

“You are the worst at lying,” Gosalyn said. “You always got me in trouble at the orphanage, Webs.”

 

“I’m sorry,” Webby said. “But I couldn’t keep my beak shut. What if Magica’s wandering around Duckburg now looking for a host?”

 

“Slow down,” Darkwing said. “I’d better come in. This sounds like a long story.”

 

“Wait, what? You did all of that without telling anyone but Huey?” Louie scoffed. “Didn’t you realize he was going to blow your cover?”

 

“Well, now I do,” Gosalyn muttered.

 

“What. Happened?” Darkwing demanded.

 

“There was a teenage girl trapped in a magical spell and I had to free her because I felt bad for her and she’d been stuck in stasis for fifteen years and--” Webby started and he cut her off.

 

“Does Scrooge know?” he asked.

 

“Uh…” Huey, Gosalyn, and Webby said in unison. Darkwing facepalmed.

 

“I’ll take that as a ‘no’.”

 

Exchanging unhappy glances, the children led him into the manor and then a sitting room. Drake had time to notice the large screen TV dominating one wall before Gosalyn, Webby, and Huey spoke in unison. They spoke over each other, too, which made it hard to figure out what was going on. He glanced over at the corner of the room to find a teenage girl with a pink streak in her hair looking at a phone intently. She glanced up at him.

 

“I’m Lena,” she said and went right back to scrolling.

 

“You have an Instagram already?” Dewey asked, sitting beside her. “How many followers do you have?”

 

“Fifty, but I only made it, like, an hour ago,” Lena responded.

 

“You’ve only been conscious for about four hours and you already have an Instagram account?” Huey asked. It boggled the mind.

 

“I would’ve had one sooner, but, you know, walking without falling over was a thing,” Lena said.

 

“Start from the beginning,” Drake advised, glancing from Lena to the others. “And don’t skimp on the detail. First off, who’s Magica?”

 

“Magica de Spell is Mr. McDuck’s greatest enemy,” Webby said solemnly. “They fought on Mount Vesuvius and he trapped her shadow self, along with Lena, inside his Other Bin until we freed both of them. Today.

 

“Magica’s a sorceress.”

 

“Not like Morgana,” Gosalyn cut in.

 

Drake frowned. He didn’t entirely get where this was going, but he had a hunch he wasn’t going to like it. He’d left Launchpad to check over his pad in the garage, which meant he was on his own here. Of course, he could always enlist the other adults and probably would need to once he heard the whole story. What a mess.

 

“She’s an evil sorceress,” Webby supplied. “Who’s Morgana?”

 

“Dad’s new girlfriend,” Gosalyn said casually. “You should meet her sometime. She’s pretty cool.”

 

“Besides the point!” Drake snapped. “You unleashed an evil sorceress on the world and now you don’t know where she is?”

 

“Don’t need to know,” Lena said, not looking up from her phone. “She’ll be consolidating her power for a while and hiding in a host.”

 

“A host?” Drake repeated. “Oh, this just gets better and better.”

 

“Chill, Dad,” Gosalyn scoffed. “It’s not like it’s Armageddon.”

 

“It could be!” he retorted. “Do you have any idea where Magica is?”

 

“Uh…” Huey, Webby, and Gosalyn said again.

 

“I have to tell Scrooge and Mrs. Beakley,” Drake said, rising from the couch.

 

“No, don’t!” Gosalyn said. “I promise--we’ll find her. Scrooge won’t even notice.”

 

He wasn’t buying it. He supposed she also had a bridge to sell him if he was going to swallow that particular tall tale. Gosalyn squirmed under his scrutiny and he turned his attention to Webby and Huey. Huey looked like he wanted to cower--the kid was such a stickler for the rules that Drake wasn’t surprised he was wigging out. Webby appeared to be biting the inside of her cheek.

 

“C’mon, Dad,” Gosalyn wheedled. “Don’t you have enough to worry about with St. Canard’s blackouts? And all those villains committing crimes? Aren’t you missing out on apprehending them right now by reprimanding me? You don’t want to let a bunch of convicts roam the streets, do you?”

 

Drake stared at her and she smiled back.

 

“What kind of reputation would Darkwing Duck have if that was the case, all to go tracking down a shadow? How would you even know where to look? And it’d detract from your time as a crime fighter. We can totally handle this. After all, we let her out. We can put her back.”

 

Lena opened her beak and then closed it, shaking her head. Though her eyes remained glued to the screen, her expression was troubled.

 

“Even assuming that I let you do that, how would you put her back?” Drake said.

 

“I’m sure we’ll think of something,” Gosalyn said brightly.

 

“You know, I am missing out on the action by staying here…” Darkwing Duck mused. Gosalyn concealed a grin. “All right, fine. You have one week to track Magica down and put her back where she was. If you can’t by the end of a week, I’m telling Scrooge and Beakley. Okay?”

 

“We won’t let you down,” Gosalyn promised. “Scrooge won’t even notice she’s gone. As for Lena, well, uh...we can hide her in the closet.”

 

“Wait, what?” Lena said, looking up from her phone at last. “I’m not living in a closet.”

 

“She can stay with us, right, Dad?” Gosalyn said and batted her eyelashes innocently. “That way, Scrooge won’t notice she’s missing and he won’t have a chance of stumbling upon her in the manor. Win-win, right? Plus, if Magica’s gone to St. Canard, maybe Lena can help us find her there.”

 

“I don’t know, Gos…” he said.

 

“Besides, you’re always saying I need other friends besides Webby and Honker,” Gosalyn said. “See? I’m expanding my circle of friends.”

 

“All right,” he agreed, albeit reluctantly. He had the feeling she was pulling one over on him, but he didn’t want to belabor the point. The Ratcatcher barely had enough room for himself, Launchpad, and Gosalyn. They’d have to take the Thunderquack to pick Lena up. The longer she stayed here, the greater the chance Scrooge would encounter her.

 

Lena shivered, staring out at nothing all of a sudden. Her blue eyes were wide and troubled. The phone fell, unnoticed, onto the carpet. Her beak was quivering.

 

“I don’t think you have to go as far as St. Canard, wherever that is, to find Magica…” she said. “I can’t exactly sniff her out, but I feel dark magic in Duckburg. She gives off weight on the astral plane, like a heaviness on your chest.”

 

Lena seemed to be keeping something back. Unfortunately, Drake hadn’t the foggiest notion of what it was. Casting her a shrewd glance, which she appeared not to notice, he looked back at the other kids again. There was more to this story than anyone was telling him, which irritated him. It wasn’t even Gosalyn keeping secrets, though that was part of it. He had the feeling he was being manipulated.

 

“Do you know where she is?” Webby asked and Lena shook her head.

 

“Just...that she’s around...and she’s angry…” Lena said and then shook her head again. “But since she was angry for fifteen years, that doesn’t narrow it down.”

 

“When you were stuck in stasis for fifteen years, you mean you were completely aware of everything that was going on?” Huey asked.

 

“And listening to Magica rant about it, yes,” Lena said quietly.

 

“Wow...fifteen years of listening to someone complain,” Louie said. “That sucks.”

 

“Tell me about it,” Lena muttered. “She went on and on.”

 

“I hope you have more than a vague feeling about where Magica is,” Drake warned. “Or else she might be able to do more damage than you can handle.”

 

“Like I said, we have everything under control,” Gosalyn lied smoothly.

 

“If I didn’t have so much on my plate right now, I’d seriously question that,” he warned her. “C’mon, let’s go get Launchpad and get out of here. You’re going to be awfully cramped in the Ratcatcher, Lena, but since Gosalyn neglected to mention that she was taking someone with her, you both will have to deal with it.”

 

This last he said through gritted teeth. He gestured for the girls to follow him. He had the feeling he was making a monumental mistake, but he couldn’t have said how, exactly. It loomed over him like the Sword of Damocles, sinking lower and lower, about to crash over him.

 

The feeling was far from unfamiliar, however, and he found he could shrug it off. For now, at least, the danger wasn’t imminent. And it wasn’t like Magica would be plotting revenge against the man that had trapped her in stasis for fifteen years, right? She couldn't possibly have gone for the closest person to him, right? That’d be ridiculous.

 

And just like that, he pushed it from his mind. The kids would handle it. If they couldn’t, that’s when he would bring in the big guns.

 

\--------

* * *

 

Scrooge was too well protected. All those magical curses hanging over his head were counterbalanced by magical protection that Magica couldn’t circumvent. Hissing, she sought out Duckworth. Lamentably, the butler was now a shade and unusable. That left...oh, well, that’d be an interesting twist. Donald or Mrs. Beakley? Donald wouldn’t be a good conduit for her, she sensed. He was also very stubborn, which meant she’d spend most of her time fighting him. Mrs. Beakley would be similar, except that Donald had been protected by a demigod. Mrs. Beakley had no such defense.

 

Her decision made, Magica set out for her target and grinned. Right under his beak and he’d never suspect a thing…

 

\-------

* * *

 

Negaduck was annoyed. As usual, Darkwing Duck was taking his sweet time to figure out what his nemesis was up to. He’d set all of this in motion to get his attention and, lo and behold, the idiot was off gallivanting around. It sounded like he’d need to play with the big guns now.

 

That was all right, though. Negaduck quite enjoyed playing with the big guns. And he enjoyed watching Darkwing flail about and fail at life. It was, in fact, what he lived for.

 

He cast his gaze about St. Canard and found Morgana. She’d been a villain, but had reformed thanks to “love”. The thought made him sick. How could she have fallen for his goody-two-shoes counterpart? With the power she possessed, Negaduck could’ve made her queen. Instead, she’d settled for an idiot who was more in love with himself than her. Of course, Negaduck was in love with himself too, but at least he did it better. He did everything better than Darkwing Duck.

 

Perhaps all hope wasn’t lost. Perhaps he could convince Morgana to rejoin the side of villainy. He’d need to be convincing, but...he thought he could pull it off. All he needed was a little luck.

 

\-----

* * *

 

The first thing Mrs. Beakley was aware of was that she was no longer in control of her body. She’d been shunted to the back of her mind and someone else was pulling the strings. That same someone flicked through her memories like a book and then snorted as if Mrs. Beakley’s life were of no great consequences to her. Mrs. Beakley recognized that snort. She knew that oily, dark, despicable feeling. Magica de Spell. But how had she gotten loose? And how was she…

 

If Mrs. Beakley’s skin could have crawled, it would have. When she looked into a nearby mirror, her eyes glowed yellow.

 

((That’s right,)) Magica crooned in her mind. ((Behold. You are now my puppet. Of course, I can’t have you taking the dime right now. What fun would that be? As much as I would like my real body back...I think it’d be much more satisfying to take revenge this way. Wouldn’t you say?))

 

She couldn’t speak. She was pressed to the darkest recesses of her mind and couldn’t respond. She was stuck there, a butterfly pinned to the wall. The worst part was that she had no one to signal for help. Mr. McDuck was her employer, not her confidante. The only other adult in the household was Donald and she could hardly talk to him, even if she’d wanted to.

 

No, she was isolated. Magica cackled, delighting in her realization.

 

((No one’s coming to your rescue. No one knows you well enough to even try.))

 

She raised her hands to her beak, but they were no longer her hands anymore. Though she saw her face in the mirror, it was no longer hers by any stretch of the imagination.

 

((Bit plumper than I’d like, but I suppose I can work with that as well. Now, now, don’t be shy. Or would you rather…))

 

Darkness descended over Mrs. Beakley and for a moment, she saw and heard nothing. Panic swept in and she quaked inwardly. Surely Scrooge would realize something was wrong. No, wait, that vainglorious money-pincher wouldn’t notice...would he? They were more than boss and employee, weren’t they? She was part of the family.

 

((Keep telling yourself that. As for me, I have places to be and things to do. Time and tide wait for no man. Or should I say, woman?))

 

Magica cackled and, for a while, that was the last thing Mrs. Beakley heard.


	3. Chapter 3

Morgana Macawber was oblivious to Negaduck’s plotting. She was currently leafing through a magazine about weddings. True, Darkwing hadn’t popped the question just yet, but she couldn’t wait around forever. After all, a girl had to have priorities. And if he didn’t ask her soon, she was going to ask him.  
  
She snorted. As much as she loved Darkwing (and that was considerable), he could be remarkably slow on the uptake sometimes. She’d have to force the issue. Above her head, Eek and Squeak were trying to get her attention, but she ignored them. Now, there was a perfectly lovely and macabre wedding layout on page 27 that she was dying to project…  
  
They squeaked louder and Morgana huffed, looking up. Someone had entered her house without knocking or even giving her the courtesy of announcing their presence. Now that her concentration was broken, she felt them like a weight on her chest. When she’d been evil, such astral weight, designating darkness, had been common enough, particularly around her relatives. Now that she wasn’t, however, it felt like nails on a chalkboard to her.  
  
“Who’s there?” she demanded.  
  
When no one answered, she gritted her teeth and straightened up on the sofa. The magazine was temporarily forgotten and thrown onto a nearby coffee table. Willing her magic to the surface in case she needed it, she advanced through the house and toward the darkness she sensed. Her hands glowed at her sides.  
  
“Dark?” she called. She knew it wasn’t but, thought she might be able to trick who she suspected it to be into revealing himself.  
  
“Close,” Negaduck sneered. “Just a little off, Morgana, my sweet.”  
  
She shuddered. When the term of endearment came from Darkwing Duck, it was acceptable, desired even. When it came from Negaduck, she wanted to slap him. She’d been a villain before, involved in shady business dealings and petty larceny, but she wasn’t a sociopath the way he was. She didn’t want to hurt people the way he did. The cruel streak that ran through him would’ve left her cold before. Now, she had a glacial attitude toward him.  
  
“What do you want?” she retorted, tone clipped. “You can’t fool me pretending to be Darkwing Duck. It won’t work.”  
  
“I wasn’t trying to,” Negaduck said and his voice sounded closer, yet she couldn’t pinpoint his location. It was maddening and it made her wonder whether there was more magic here at play there. The only other sorceress she knew of was Magica de Spell and Magica hadn’t been seen or heard from in fifteen years. Morgana had only been a teenager when Magica had vanished.  
  
She flicked a light switch nearby and Negaduck appeared. His teeth seemed to be filed to razor edges and while she knew it might’ve intimidated others, such as his followers, it did nothing for her. His gaze was cold as it raked over her and she responded in kind, glaring back.  
  
“I asked you before you and I’ll ask you again,” Morgana said. “What do you want?”  
  
“The way I see it, there are two ways this could go,” Negaduck said, still not answering her. It was thoroughly infuriating. Her hands at her sides blazed magic now and it would have been sufficient warning for anyone who thought to tangle with her. Anyone, it seemed, except Negaduck.  
  
“Oh?” she retorted and decided to play along. “How’s that?”  
  
“One, you come with me and abandon Darkwing Duck,” Negaduck said and then, as he approached, she became aware of a gas gun similar to Darkwing Duck’s in his right hand. She gazed at it and then back to his face. Something about that gun was putting her on guard. If Negaduck had a gas gun, it couldn’t have anything good in it. (Even if it was unlike Negaduck to copy Darkwing’s things and actually use them).  
  
She snorted. “And what’s the second situation?”  
  
“I was afraid you’d pick that option,” he said, but his eyes were alight with malice and something else. Possessiveness. He stopped a foot away from her and leveled the gas gun at her. She watched him for any sudden movements.  
  
“Option two is that I take you out of here by force. Now, no one wants that,” he said in a tone that contradicted his words. “Either way, I don’t see you and Darkwing working out. Not for the long term.”  
  
“I’d never betray him!” she said hotly. “Why am I even arguing with you? Eek, Squeak, get rid of him!”  
  
Negaduck pulled on the trigger of the gas gun and sparkling powder filled the air. It coated everything around them and she inhaled; as she breathed it in, it felt like it was attacking her. The concoction, whatever it was, dug deep into her and tore at her from inside. Gasping, she fell to her knees. What was this? What had he done?  
  
Eek and Squeak were insensible beside her. She poked at them and dull horror filled her. Her eyes filled with tears, partially from concern over them and partially as an aftereffect of the powder. Attempts to speak failed as the powder grated her throat and filled her lungs.  
  
Eek and Squeak weren’t breathing. She reached out toward them and collapsed, unable to fill her lungs. It felt like the powder was taking up space where air ought to go. Surely Negaduck wouldn’t kill her? Surely, if he wanted to prove a point to Darkwing Duck, he’d leave her alive to do that? She shuddered again as the flames in her mind that were her familiars winked out.  
  
“I never liked them much anyway,” Negaduck scoffed and kicked their bodies away. She looked up at him with an increasingly watery gaze. He picked her up as if she weighed nothing and carried her in his arms. This close, the darkness that consumed him felt like a black hole she was falling into. Its gravity was inescapable and she was being pulled in. She could barely breathe and her limbs were leaden, not responding to her attempts to fight him off. Oh, Darkwing...she’d failed him.  
  
Negaduck stroked her hair and smiled. She shivered, but only in her mind.  
  
“You’re going to help me bring down St. Canard,” Negaduck informed her with that warped grin. “And you’re going to do it of your own free will. And when we’re done taking over the place, you’re going to kill Darkwing Duck. You’ll do it with a smile on your face.”  
  
He leaned over and kissed her on the beak.  
  
“Right, my dear?”  
  
Morgana went limp in his arms. Her vision faded out, but she remained semi-conscious as he hauled her out to the street and then dumped her in his version of the Ratcatcher. He didn’t buckle her in, not that she would have expected him to, and as they traveled along the streets, her mind grew increasingly hazy. Concepts such as right and wrong blurred in her head.  
  
“There is no good or evil. Just power and those too weak to seek it.”  
  
She fought, each struggle becoming increasingly weaker and weaker until she found herself succumbing. By the time Negaduck had brought her to his hideout, he had achieved his goal with time to spare.

* * *

  
  
It had been a late night. Darkwing Duck was exhausted, barely capable of shuffling off to bed. He dragged his feet up the stairs and heard voices coming from Gosalyn’s room. They really ought to be asleep, but he didn’t have it in him to reprimand her right now. Instead, he sloughed off to bed. Whatever was happening, he’d deal with it in the morning.  
  
He passed out as soon as his head hit the pillow, regardless of the fact he was still wearing his costume, hat and all.  
  
When he opened his eyes, it wasn’t to find himself in his room. Rather, he was in Morgana’s house and the lights were out. Was he asleep or had he driven to Morgana’s house without realizing it? Bewildered, he stepped toward an occupied sofa. The figure on it looked like Morgana, but only her shadow.  
  
“Um, Morg? What’s going on?” he said. “When did I get here?”  
  
“Darkwing!” she exclaimed and whirled around. But there was nothing to her, no substance at all. Instead, she was all shadows and moonlight. Unsettled, he took a step back.  
  
“There’s usually a bit more to you than this…” he said, chuckling weakly.  
  
“It’s all I can summon right now and even that power is fading,” Morgana answered. “I can barely project onto the astral plane.”  
  
“The astral plane? Is that what this is? I thought it’d be more, you know, astrally.”  
  
Morgana huffed. “Do you even know what you’re talking about? No, never mind. We don’t have time for that.”  
  
“You didn’t really answer my question,” he said. He continued gawking at her shadow self. “Er, well, what I meant as a question. What happened to you?”  
  
She shook her head and clutched at her throat. “I can’t...I can’t say...damn. He must’ve found a magical artifact with some power in it. He shouldn’t have been able to confine my movements when I’m unconscious.”  
  
“Unconscious?” he repeated. “Or asleep?”  
  
“Unconscious.” Her shadow self rippled and she hissed. “I have less time than I thought. Darkwing, you have to listen to me. Neh--Neh--Neh...”  
  
She cursed as she stammered over the name. “I can’t say it. I can’t even allude to it. You have to find help. Someone who knows more about magic to get me out of this.”  
  
“Get you out of what? I still have no clue what’s going on.”  
  
“Dark! I love you!” she said and then her shadow self vanished. Jolted awake, he stared up at the ceiling. That...had been very confusing. What on earth was going on with Morgana? And it wasn’t like she had a phone like everyone else that he could pick up and call. Morgana was pretty much anti-technology. Not that phones were hi-tech, mind you, but even that, she had an aversion to.  
  
“I love you too?” he said, baffled. “Usually my dreams aren’t full of weird portents and mysteries.”  
  
More awake than he’d been when he came in, he walked over to Gosalyn’s room. By now, the girls had fallen silent and he cracked the door open. Gosalyn was fast asleep, passed out and sprawled out on her bed, but Lena was awake and cradling an amulet. When she saw him, she stuffed it back under her shirt.  
  
“What is going on, young lady?” he demanded.  
  
“I could ask you the same thing,” she replied. “There was magic around here and now there isn’t.”  
  
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he retorted. “Shouldn’t you be asleep too?”  
  
“Maybe.”  
  
“No ‘maybe’ about it. Go to bed!”  
  
Lena’s gaze wasn’t on him, but rather on the open window. He didn’t pretend to know the first thing about magic, but her odd behavior, coupled with Morgana in his dream, had him on edge again. Since he’d been apprehensive most of the night, he didn’t appreciate the reminder. What was going on around here?  
  
Lena crawled into her sleeping bag, but her eyes were still on the window. Darkwing left her that way, all the while feeling that he was missing something important.  
  


* * *

  
  
Mrs. Beakley had never been much for horror films. She found them trite and not at all scary. Now, however, she had a different perspective. Being trapped in her own body and unable to do anything was the single most horrifying experience she’d ever had in her life. It felt like her body no longer belonged to her, but to Magica. The worst part was that no one noticed the difference. Magica was right. No one was close enough to her to tell.  
  
Webby wasn’t her true granddaughter and had only known her a few months. Scrooge was her employer and not very observant besides and of the triplets, only Huey would have noticed such a thing. Louie might’ve noticed and shrugged it off, but if she was relying on the boys for help, she was already a goner.  
  
Not that she knew how they’d be able to help her, either. As far as she knew, there was no way to drive Magica out. Signaling to someone that she was being possessed would be the first step, if she could have managed that much. The sad fact was she couldn’t. The only times when her body was her own were when Magica slept and it seemed that a sorceress hungry for revenge didn’t sleep very often.  
  
Worse yet, Magica believed in blocking her senses, so there were large gaps of time Mrs. Beakley couldn’t account for. She didn’t know what was going on or what, exactly, Magica had in mind. She was a pawn as much as anyone else in Magica’s game.  
  
At present, the sorceress was watching Webby with avarice. Mrs. Beakley didn’t know what her interest in the girl was, beyond it being sinister and ominous. On the surface, Beakley seemed like her normal self. She was currently instructing Webby and her sister Gosalyn on proper techniques to defend oneself against an armed attacker. Magica had plucked the knowledge from Mrs. Beakley’s mind, though the sorceress was growing bored with the exercise.  
  
Magica sniffed and Mrs. Beakley, who had never been able to sense such things before (and whose inability to do so might have led to this situation), noticed a strange perturbance in the astral plane. She had the odd feeling that someone was being dragged, kicking and screaming, away. Magica’s interest piqued, she walked away from the girls and stood by the window.  
  
Gosalyn asked her something and she waved her off. There was another sorceress out there, was there? Interesting...Magica could use this. Whether she was affiliated with the light or the dark was another story, but Magica could work with that. Of course, if Lena hadn’t had the dratted amulet, it would have been easier. However, she thought she could find another way. She didn’t need magic to trick people. After all, she was doing well enough on her own with this mundane body.  
  
And if she could possess the other sorceress, she might be able to restore herself to her former glory and seize the dime too. For now, however, this body had use. When she was done, she might just kill her or leave a husk. Magica smiled cruelly.  
  
((You will do no such thing!)) Mrs. Beakley managed weakly and Magica scoffed, punting her into the back of her mind where she couldn’t speak. It felt like the walls were closing in on her and she was suffocating.  
  
((I will do as I please,)) Magica informed her smugly. ((It’s not like anyone around here is going to stop me. As for you preventing me, the idea is laughable.))  
  
Of course Mrs. Beakley should have known that Scrooge’s number one dime would figure into this somehow. He was obsessed with it and so was Magica. They would have made a good couple based on that obsession, she’d thought sourly, if they could get over their own egos. Of course, Magica being evil and Scrooge being chaotic good wouldn’t have helped her cause.  
  
And these were the inanity of thoughts she had when she had no one to speak with and was suppressed in her mind. Mrs. Beakley wanted to bang her head into a wall, but, of course, she couldn’t.  
  
“Tell me,” Magica said through Mrs. Beakley’s beak. “Are there any other sorceresses about I should know about? Anyone I need to keep an eye out for, in case they discover Magica’s location?”  
  
Webby and Gosalyn exchanged a look and Magica wondered whether this was too brazen. Perhaps she should have been subtler in her questioning. It was too late now.  
  
“No…” Webby said, shaking her head.  
  
“Morgana wouldn’t,” Gosalyn added. “She’s not interested in any evil sorceresses. Why do you ask?”  
  
“It seems like a pretty big liability, leaving Magica alone like that,” she said.  
  
“She’s been captive for fifteen years,” Gosalyn said. “She’s not going anywhere.”  
  
Yet Mrs. Beakley sensed that Gosalyn was lying, as did Magica. Magica was quick to pounce.  
  
“I certainly hope not,” she responded smoothly. “I would hate to think that someone might have freed her in a misguided attempt to right a wrong.”  
  
Webby and Gosalyn looked uneasy and Magica smirked inwardly. This might be easier than she thought.  
  
Oh, children. What had they been up to? Had they freed Magica in a desperate, good-natured attempt to rescue Lena? Mrs. Beakley had always felt bad for Lena, even though she was a shadow and not a real girl, but that was taking it a step too far.  
  
((Just as I thought,)) Magica sneered. ((Kindness is a weakness that can be exploited. Thank you, Lena, for finally being useful for once.))  
  
Mrs. Beakley hoped that wherever Lena was, she was out of Magica’s grasp. Of course, since Magica was currently inhabiting her body, she didn’t see that as a possibility. Mrs. Beakley sagged in her invisible prison.  
  
“Who’s Morgana?” Magica asked, returning to her previous tack.  
  
“My dad’s girlfriend,” Gosalyn said with a shrug. “She’s okay, I guess. Dad’s crazy about her and she’s crazy about him, but all their googly eye stuff is kinda gross.”  
  
Magica didn’t care for the romance either, but she could exploit that too, much like the girls’ weakness for Lena. She seemed to be picking up all sorts of pointers right now. Magica was preening in her mind and Mrs. Beakley longed to take her down a peg. If Magica were corporeal, she could have slammed her against the wall and beat her until she cried for mercy. Now it was Mrs. Beakley who was pinned and helpless. It was not a familiar or wanted sensation.  
  
((Serves you right, you know,)) Magica scoffed. ((You always believed you couldn’t be taken on...until you were beaten. But feel free to despair. I’m quite enjoying it.)))  
  
No, she couldn’t give into despair. She would have to come up with a plan and soon. Of course, if Magica kept paying attention to her, she wouldn’t be able to do so. She’d just have to hope something would occupy her enough to stop paying attention for just an hour or so…  
  


* * *

  
  
Someone had noticed that Mrs. Beakley wasn’t quite right, though he hadn’t broached the subject to his brothers yet. He thought perhaps he might be imagining things or else blowing it out of proportion. It wouldn’t be unlike him to call attention to fuss over nothing. Nonetheless, he knew Mrs. Beakley’s cooking was off and there had been eggshells in their omelet this morning. Mrs. Beakley was normally a consummate professional, especially when it came to cooking.  
  
This bore closer examination. He’d keep an eye on her and see if anything else weird happened. If it did, he’d tell his brothers. He wasn’t sure what could be done about it.  
  
Never did it cross his mind that it might be Magica pulling the strings. After all, though he worried about what he, Webby, and Gosalyn had unleashed, he thought he would have had a sense if Magica was lurking about the manor. Something would have tipped him off. No, wherever Magica was, it wasn’t here. Uncle Scrooge had magical protection spells, didn’t he? She would’ve triggered at least one of them…  
  
Unsettled now, he decided to watch Ottoman Empire with his brothers. When in doubt, mindless TV usually did the trick. The girls were busy with Mrs. Beakley training and Uncle Scrooge was in his office. Donald was fixing up his houseboat for the umpteenth time. Everything was it should be.  
  
Wasn’t it?


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Morgana discovers just what Negaduck has in mind for her (and Darkwing). Magica threatens Lena.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This gets a little toward non-con territory. It never actually crosses that line (nor will it, because, for all of his flaws, I don't see Negaduck as a rapist), but it will brush uncomfortably close to that edge.

Morgana regained consciousness in the Negaverse. She’d suspected Negaduck had a hideout beyond St. Canard and here was the proof. She suppressed a groan and kept her eyes shut. If she could manage that, perhaps Negaduck wouldn’t realize she was conscious. She needed a moment to examine what had changed within her and to mourn Eek and Squeak. They had been with her since she was a teenager and losing them tore at her. It also made the rescue more difficult, which was doubtless what Negaduck had had in mind.  
  
She tried thinking about Darkwing and how she might get a message to him, but every time she broached the subject, her mind veered sharply away. Instead, images of hurting him filled her thoughts and, buried, part of her shuddered. Her mind was particularly gruesome today, describing in great detail how she might torture Darkwing before letting him succumb to his injuries. He would suffer for days before dying.  
  
Morgana shoved at the thoughts, which were heavy and ponderous, in an attempt to free her mind back to normal. It didn’t work. It almost felt like someone else was in control of her mind, except she could still think; all her thoughts were subverted, not extinguished. The image of Darkwing’s feathers soaked in blood turned her stomach and she fought a whimper.  
  
Negaduck had killed Eek and Squeak to prevent her from getting a message out to Darkwing or Gosalyn. Before this strange mental affliction had struck, she had tried to astral project to Darkwing, but she didn’t think she’d succeeded. As much as she loved Dark, he could be quite thick-headed sometimes. It hadn’t helped that she couldn’t choke out Negaduck’s name.  
  
Her chest ached and she didn’t know if it was the Negaverse’s darkness weighing upon her or her misery over her familiars’ demise. Tears pricked the corners of her eyes. For a long time, Eek and Squeak had been her only friends, her confidants. She would pay Negaduck back for this, as soon as she was herself again.  
  
Though the universe weighed upon her chest, she didn’t sense anyone nearby. Cautiously, she opened her eyes to find herself in a shabby replica of Drake Mallard’s bedroom. She was lying in what she assumed was Negaduck’s bed. As far as she could tell, he hadn’t taken any liberties, but the thought of him carrying her here unconscious made her shudder. Another part of her mind, the same part that reveled in Darkwing suffering, thought it was romantic in a misguided fashion. He’d been a perfect gentleman, that part argued.  
  
Yes, as though the only prerequisite for being a perfect gentleman after kidnapping someone was keeping one’s hands to one’s self.  
  
Arguing amongst herself was giving her a headache and she took the time to survey the room anew. Truth be told, she’d only glimpsed Darkwing’s bedroom through astral projection. She hadn’t spent the night in his house, on an unspoken agreement not to risk upsetting Gosalyn. Negaduck’s bed had handcuffs attached to a bedpost (she didn’t want to think about why), the sheets were blood red, and there were multiple guns near her head. She pushed herself into a sitting position. Knowing Negaduck, those guns were loaded.  
  
It was more than that she was accustomed to Eek and Squeak. It was that she felt lost without them. They had been her constant companions and to be without them, unable to use them to scout ahead, left her feeling off-kilter. Morgana pushed herself to her feet and swayed, the after-effects of the powder Negaduck used still in place.  
  
When she walked out of the room, holding onto the wall to maintain her balance, she found another version of Gosalyn waiting for her. She knew it wasn’t the Gosalyn she knew because that Gosalyn would never have been caught dead in a frilly pink dress, Shirley Temple curls, and a pink bow. The smile she plastered on her face also unnerved Morgana. NegaGosalyn, then, she supposed. Somehow, she didn’t think her Gosalyn would’ve been pleased to meet this one.  
  
“Dad left me instructions in case you woke up,” NegaGosalyn said with a bright smile. “How did you sleep?”  
  
“Like I was kidnapped,” Morgana said bluntly. “Where is your father?”  
  
She assumed NegaGosalyn’s ‘father’ was Negaduck.  
  
“Dad’s off doing something important,” NegaGosalyn said. “Would you like a tour?”  
  
Morgana didn’t know how to respond to that. Would she like a tour of a house she already knew, albeit in worse shape? Would she like a tour of her new prison? Would Negaduck permit her to leave? The way he’d described it before, she was to work with him and steal for him. And...possibly to help him destroy Darkwing. Again, the image of Darkwing pinned to the wall with blood soaking his feathers filled her mind.  
  
“I’m all right,” she said.  
  
“I’ll cook you some breakfast,” NegaGosalyn offered. “You were sleeping for about twelve hours. You must be pretty hungry.”  
  
She swallowed past bile in her throat. Darkwing Duck pleading for his life, his eyes bright and filled with tears from the pain she had inflicted. Darkwing reaching out to her as his last hope before she left him to languish in misery. She shook her head at NegaGosalyn’s suggestion. She’d never been less hungry in her life.  
  
“I’ll cook you eggs and bacon,” NegaGosalyn decided. “You’ll be hungrier once you smell it.”  
  
She led her down to the kitchen, which was grimy, had bullet holes in the walls, and where NegaLaunchpad was already seated, glowering at a news report on an old tube set. It didn’t look like the Negaverse had the same technology as the real world. Morgana sat down across from NegaLaunchpad, who glared at her, and she sighed, clenching her eyes shut. When she did, she saw Darkwing in pieces and she shuddered.  
  
“Would you like coffee?” NegaGosalyn asked sweetly and Morgana opened her eyes. NegaLaunchpad was drinking coffee and, although other things in the Negaverse were decrepit and/or in shambles, the coffee smelled normal. She nodded, though she wasn’t certain she would be able to keep it down. Blood soaked white feathers so quickly…  
  
She reached out instinctively toward Eek and Squeak to send them to Drake Mallard, except they weren’t there. The space in her mind where they ought to be had faded to black. Morgana fought another whimper. When NegaGosalyn gave her a fresh mug of coffee, she wrapped her hands around it and pushed away from the disturbing mental images she had.  
  
Her hands were shaking and NegaGosalyn glanced over at her while she buttered the pan and used a whisk on the eggs.  
  
“Are you all right?” NegaGosalyn asked. Though she didn’t doubt the girl was sincere, the question grated, like bright sunshine with a hangover.  
  
She wasn’t, but she couldn’t confide in a child. Instead, she gazed down at her coffee. She sensed NegaLaunchpad staring at her from across the table and lifted her head.  
  
“You’re not stealing him away, you know,” NegaLaunchpad said. Morgana blinked.  
  
“I beg your pardon?” she said.  
  
“You think you’re hot stuff, but you’re not. I’ve seen the way he gets around you,” he snapped. “It’s ridiculous. You’re not his partner, I am.”  
  
“You think I wanted this?” she choked out. “I wanted to be with Dark--”  
  
She couldn’t get the rest of his name out. Instead, her throat closed up and NegaLaunchpad sneered.  
  
“You wanted to hurt Darkwing Duck, didn’t you?” he asked and NegaGosalyn turned away from the frying pan to watch them. She didn’t know what NegaGosalyn’s relationship was with Darkwing, but she glimpsed pain and fear on NegaGosalyn’s face before the girl turned away. The two knew each other, then. Negaduck probably didn’t like that at all.  
  
“I--” she started and then stopped. A voice that sounded like her yet bore no resemblance to her normal self retorted, “Of course I do. I want to make him suffer for what he’s done. He’s stood in the way for far too long. He needs to be tortured, long and slow, and shown no mercy.”  
  
NegaGosalyn dropped the spatula. It went unnoticed by NegaLaunchpad. This time, Morgana knew she wasn’t imagining it. The child’s gaze was wide and terrified. She wanted to comfort her and tell her she didn’t mean any of this, except that part of her was being squashed. Morgana continued with relish.  
  
“Let the blood drip down,” Morgana hissed. “Let him bleed just enough to plead for mercy and then deny it to him; don’t let him bleed too much or he’ll die.”  
  
NegaGosalyn shuddered uncontrollably and all Morgana could see was Darkwing’s daughter. She yearned to go over to her and comfort her, but her body wasn’t responding. NegaLaunchpad snorted at Morgana’s assertion and went back to brooding over the TV. The pressure in her chest eased slightly and she balled her free hand onto her thigh. She had the unsettling image of Darkwing gasping and coughing up blood. All of these disturbing images were making her stomach churn and even after NegaGosalyn gave her breakfast, she couldn’t will herself to eat it.  
  
NegaGosalyn was avoiding her gaze, as she was NegaLaunchpad’s. When she had finished cooking, she disappeared into the living room to wait for them to finish their meal. She could have Morgana’s. Morgana didn’t think she was capable of eating a single bite.  
  
The images floating in her mind were like pieces of her worst nightmares. She drank her coffee, more for something to do than because she wanted it, and reached out pointlessly for Eek and Squeak. When she remembered again, she dropped her head. Misery pounded at her from the Negaverse and her own unhappiness over the situation.  
  
“Where’s Negaduck?” she asked again and NegaLaunchpad sneered.  
  
“Same as he always is,” he responded. “Up in his lair on the bridge.”  
  
The way he said it, he intimated that Morgana was an idiot for asking. Morgana didn’t bristle; her mood was too low for that. Instead, she pushed the coffee mug away, then picked it up, dumped its contents down the drain, and rinsed out the mug before putting it on the drying rack.  
  
When she entered the living room, she found NegaGosalyn watching TV. NegaGosalyn turned toward her and her eyes were bright, the same odd intensity as Morgana had experienced in those mental flashes before, albeit from Darkwing and not Gosalyn.  
  
“You won’t really hurt him, will you?” NegaGosalyn asked. “You love him. I know you do. Negaduck complains all the time that he can’t get you away from Darkwing Duck.”  
  
She wanted to promise her that she wouldn’t. More than anything, she wanted to strip that desperate terror from NegaGosalyn’s face. But she couldn’t. The words wouldn’t come.  
  
“I won’t touch him…” she promised and NegaGosalyn brightened, up until she added, “unless he gets in my way.”  
  
With that, she left the house, closing the door behind her. She wished she weren’t so sensitive to auras and magical portents. Judging by Negaduck’s fixation on her, she didn’t have a counterpart here, which somehow didn’t surprise her. Everyone here was a negative or evil counterpart. When she’d first started in St. Canard, she’d been somewhat malicious, yet not enough to merit a strong stance. There were probably other variables in here she didn’t know about and didn’t care to conjecture about. Her stomach churned again. Her poor Darkwing…  
  
Negaduck was indeed in his lair and overseeing the next stage in his plan. In addition, he was dressing down Bushroot, Quackerjack, Liquidator, and Megavolt. Or, rather, their Negaverse counterparts. She hadn’t caught all of it, but it seemed that he was displeased with their general existence.  
  
“Negaduck, darling!” she cried, interrupting his diatribe to fling herself at him. Negaduck, who might’ve been ready to skin anyone else who dared interrupt him, opened his arms wide to her. He kissed her on the beak and inwardly, she recoiled. Outwardly, however, she kissed him back with gusto and molded her body to his.  
  
“This is much better,” he proclaimed, pulling apart from her. He nipped her on the neck. “See, this is how a true villain operates. He takes goody-two-shoes and puts them in their place, then steals the best parts for his own use.”  
  
His own use? Yes, Morgana was definitely trouncing him once she was freed from this heinous geas.  
  
“Morgana used to be Darkwing Duck’s girlfriend. Now she’s mine,” he preened. He squeezed her butt and she hissed inside her head. So much for being a perfect gentleman. Still, at least she was conscious for this. Not that that was much of a comfort.  
  
He ordered the other wannabe villains to scatter and pulled her toward him and onto a nearby chair. He placed her atop his lap and kissed her again, perhaps just because he could. The compulsion reared its ugly head again and she found herself reciprocating, actually finding it pleasurable when his hands wandered along her body.  
  
Inside, she was screaming that she didn’t want this. But it didn’t seem to matter. When he broke away from her again, his grin was wicked.  
  
“Isn’t this so much better without an audience?”  
  
He meant Eek and Squeak. She stiffened and willed herself to slap him. Instead, she caressed his cheek. Betrayed by her own body.  
  
“Now that we have the hard put over with, it’s time to put my plans into motion,” he said and got up, gently pushing her away. It might’ve been the only gentle thing he’d ever done.  
  
That didn’t keep his hands from improper places, unfortunately. Darkwing would never have touched her without permission, especially not there.  
  
“We’ve got the city under lockdown with all of the power outages,” he said, spreading out a map along a table for her to see where the most recent attacks had come. She wished she could communicate it to Darkwing. Negaduck also had potential locations listed for future robberies and crimes.  
  
“But it’s time to get serious. All of this loot won’t do us any good unless we can pin Darkwing Duck down. That’s where you come in, my sweet.”  
  
He pulled her to his side with his arm about her waist.  
  
“You know how to create illusions. You could trap Darkwing Duck in his worst fears while we televise his inadequacies all over St. Canard, to show the city what a terrible ‘superhero’ he is. I want the city to turn against him. Once that’s accomplished, they’ll be begging for us to punish him. We can make it sound like all of these robberies and power outages are his fault because he couldn’t stop us.”  
  
Somehow, she thought Darkwing seeing her at Negaduck’s side might already be part of his worst fears. It was one of hers. Negaduck nuzzled her and then bit down on her neck. She yelped as he gave her a rough hickey with his razor-sharp teeth. The worst part was the dominant part of her, the part that was compelled toward Negaduck, liked the mistreatment.  
  
“I need you to go back to St. Canard and act like your normal self. Don’t let Darkwing think anything is wrong. That way, when we spring the trap on him, he’ll be surprised. But you can’t say a word to him about what’s really going on.”  
  
Negaduck smirked. “As if you could. You’re mine now, for bad or for worse. All mine.”  
  
He squeezed her tail and she wanted to slap him so badly that she could almost move her arm against the onus. Almost, but not quite. Not good enough.  
  
“Go. I’ll be waiting here for tonight.”  
  
Her tongue was thick in her mouth. He couldn’t possibly be suggesting what she thought he was. Again, she willed her arm to move and it rose an inch before falling back at her side. Oddly enough, that gave her hope. Perhaps she could break the compulsion if she had enough power. And make no mistake. If Negaduck thought he would get the same treatment as Darkwing Duck in that particular area, she’d fight it like a wild animal. She’d claw his eyes out first.  
  
None of this showed on her face, thankfully, and she departed the lair thinking dark thoughts that transferred to Darkwing. Darkwing was the one who deserved his eyes clawed out. Negaduck was her lover now. Morgana wanted to scream.  
  
What was the saying?  _“I have no mouth, yet I must scream.”_

* * *

  
  
Lena didn’t have much to do when Gosalyn went to school. Therefore, she crept back to McDuck Manor. Scrooge was out on business and, to her shock, Mrs. Beakley let her back in. When she gazed into Mrs. Beakley’s eyes, she knew. Magica was leering back at her and Lena shuddered. Mrs. Beakley grinned.  
  
“I knew you’d come crawling back,” Mrs. Beakley/Magica hissed, grabbing Lena by the throat. “Have you come to help me instead of being a hindrance like usual?”  
  
Seeing as she had her hand clamped about her neck, Lena couldn’t respond even if she’d wanted to. It didn’t help that she was afraid of her. Fifteen years of verbal abuse might not leave physical marks, but it had left marks all over her psyche. Lena shivered and Mrs. Beakley/Magica sneered before flinging her aside like so much rubbish. Lena choked, clutching her bruised throat.  
  
“You always were so melodramatic.”  
  
“Where are Webby? And the boys?” Lena gasped.  
  
“Webby’s around here somewhere,” Mrs. Beakley/Magica snorted. “As for the boys, they’re in school. No one will be protecting you, my dumb little Lena.”  
  
She patted Lena on the cheeks in a way that sent shivers down Lena’s spine. She might’ve been about to do more, exhort her to help her in some fashion, when Webby appeared and tackle hugged Lena to the floor. While Lena wasn’t used to being hugged, she thought in this instance, she was grateful to Webby. Plus...Webby exuded so much light and happiness it was hard not to be swept up in it. Lena liked her despite herself.  
  
Webby was such a good person. She didn’t deserve Magica leering at her.  
  
“Lena! I didn’t think you were coming over!” Webby cried and hugged her tightly before releasing her. Oddly, Lena found herself wishing she hadn’t let go. Lena hadn’t been happy very much (or ever) in her existence so far, but Webby made her feel like she might be accepted. Like Webby could see her for who she was and want her around anyway.  
  
“I didn’t think I was either,” Lena said, brushing herself off as if she hadn’t wanted Webby’s hug. She didn’t want to show weakness in front of Magica.  
  
“Can I talk to you for a second?” Lena said, meaning to pull Webby aside and tell her about her grandmother. Magica cleared her throat and shot Lena a poisonous look that promised future pain and torment should Lena divulge her secret. They might’ve been separate now, but Lena wasn’t foolish enough to cross her.  
  
“Lena, dear,” Mrs. Beakley/Magica said. To Lena’s ears, she could hear Magica’s voice hissing beneath Mrs. Beakley’s no-nonsense tone. “Might I have a word with you first?”  
  
“I’ll be waiting,” Webby promised and then skipped away. Her innocence really ought to be grating instead of refreshing. Lena watched her go with trepidation. Once she was no longer in earshot or within sight distance, Magica grabbed her by the throat again and ripped the amulet off her neck.  
  
“That’s so much better,” Magica breathed. “I can’t turn it back into my staff, not yet, but at least the power is back where it belongs.”  
  
“Are you an idiot?” Lena asked, her heart racing. “Webby and the others are going to notice you’re wearing something new.”  
  
“I’ll hide it as you do. Besides, no one’s noticed anything so far. This vessel is perfect. No one cares enough about her to ask stupid questions. If only I could keep you close as well...but I haven’t constructed an excuse for your freedom that wouldn’t connect the dots to mine. As much as I loathe Scrooge, he isn’t completely stupid, unlike you. He will notice sooner or later when he goes into the Bin, but since he seldom does it, I might be able to pull this off for a while. As long as you stay where I can keep an eye on you.”  
  
“Or I could tell Webby and blow your whole cover.”  
  
Mrs. Beakley/Magica squeezed the amulet and Lena choked, falling to her knees. Her vision was spotty and breathing grew harder and harder until she could barely squeeze anything past her constricted throat.  
  
“Or I could kill you. Well, I might not have the power for that just yet...but I could make your life much more miserable than it’s already been. What do you say? Would you be willing to risk my displeasure?”  
  
Lena shook her head weakly and fought to remain conscious. Mrs. Beakley/Magica sneered and Lena gazed into her eyes; she desperately sought any indication Mrs. Beakley was still in there.  
  
“Lena--” Mrs. Beakley gasped. At least, Lena hoped it was her. Their eyes met and Magica sneered, shunting Mrs. Beakley to the back again. Lena’s heart sank. If Mrs. Beakley was pinning her hopes on her, she had the wrong person. Lena wouldn’t be able to help her. She couldn’t do it and keep Webby and the others safe. If Magica had no qualms about hurting her, she’d have none about hurting the others, either. Lena barely knew them but knew she didn’t want anything to happen to them, either. And she already had what might be an unhealthy attachment to Webby.  
  
“Go on,” Mrs. Beakley/Magica said with a malicious gleam in her eyes. “Go play with Webby. But I’ll be watching.”  
  
She shooed her away and Lena, relieved to be out of her presence, dashed to Webby’s side. Webby had been waiting in the hall and Lena was thankful until she remembered why she was. Then her heart sank further.  
  
“What did Granny have to talk to you about?”  
  
“Nothing much,” she lied. “Why don’t you show me around now that Scrooge’s busy?”  
  
“Oh, yeah,” Webby said, beaming at her. “C’mon. I’ll give you the grand tour. And after that, maybe we can do something fun. Like, tell each other our deepest, darkest secrets.”  
  
“Uh...pass…”  
  
Her stomach flip-flopped.  
  
“It’ll be fun,” Webby promised. “And then we can swear blood oaths to each other and practice our defensive moves. It’ll be a blast. I’ll tell you about Gosalyn and you can tell me what you’ve been up to for your first real day of being alive.”  
  
Webby shook her and grinned widely. “Wasn’t it amazing? I mean, after being trapped for so long, of course it was. I wanna hear every detail.”  
  
No, she didn’t. But Lena wasn’t going to correct her on that. It wouldn’t help, anyway. Magica’s threat loomed over her and she plastered a smile on her face too. Maybe she could be friends with Webby somehow before the house of cards all came crashing down if Magica let her. What Lena wouldn’t give to be free of that old witch once and for all.  
  
She let none of this show on her face. Webby was pure and untainted by the world. Lena hoped to keep her that way for as long as possible. If possible. She didn’t want Webby to be hurt the way she was. As Webby led her through the manor, Lena concentrated on Webby’s hand on hers and not on what lay ahead. Her neck felt empty without the amulet and she wondered what Magica had in mind.  
  
Not that she would’ve told her, regardless. She, like everyone else, would have to wait and see. It was the waiting that she dreaded because once it ended, all hell would break loose.  
  


* * *

  
  
A strange compulsion seized Darkwing Duck and he stopped by Morgana’s house on the Ratcatcher. It was during the day, so she’d probably be asleep. After all, she wasn’t answering her doorbell. Really, he ought to leave her alone. Nonetheless, something was warning him something was up. After that dream that he’d had, he’d been a little on edge.  
  
The front door opened at his slightest touch and he frowned. That wasn’t normal. Morgana didn’t like people waltzing in unannounced. True, he’d rung the doorbell and received no response. He crept inside, feeling more like a burglar than her boyfriend.  
  
There was a strange powder on the floor and two twitching bodies. Darkwing flicked the lights on to see better and realized that the two twitching bodies were bats. Specifically, they were Eek and Squeak. Darkwing knelt and realized they were still breathing, if barely. Morgana would never have left without her bats. She never went anywhere without them, even when they had wanted alone time. Darkwing colored at that reminder.  
  
This looked and felt like a crime scene. Beyond the preliminaries, he could determine nothing. Being a mundane, he had no sense of magic, but something told him that if Eek and Squeak were lying prone on the floor, Morgana wasn’t here. She never would have left her bats in such poor condition. That begged the question of where Morgana had gone and what was up with that strange dream he’d had. Had it really been her seeking his help? Why couldn’t she have spoken more plainly? Or was he reading too much into it?  
  
He wished he could bounce ideas off Launchpad, but Launchpad was in Cape Suzette with Scrooge McDuck on a business trip. Gosalyn was at school, at least until she did something wrong and he got called in. Man, he needed more friends. It wasn’t like he was going to ask Herb or Binky for advice. His circle of friends was rather limited; he could always talk to himself, as he usually did, but he probably wouldn’t get anywhere. After all, he could only come up with what he already knew.  
  
Where would Morgana be if she wasn’t here? Darkwing didn’t know where she went. With a niggling doubt in the back of his mind, he departed the house and closed the door behind him. The powder had left a grating residue in the back of his throat. Maybe he ought to analyze it. With that thought in mind, he charged back in, grabbed some powder, dumped it into a plastic bag, and left on the Ratcatcher. Maybe the powder would give him a lead onto what was really going on. Assuming the powder could be analyzed, that was.  
  
Feeling like something was going horribly wrong somewhere in St. Canard, he drove off and back to the bridge. Maybe once Launchpad got back, he’d be able to bounce ideas off him. Assuming, too, that it wasn’t like bouncing a rubber ball off thin air, because Launchpad’s ability to respond in certain situations was rather...limited. To say the least.  
  
He liked his pilot, but, man, he was dim. And people thought he, Darkwing, was slow on the uptake? Ha. That was nothing compared to Launchpad. Wait, why was he comparing himself to LP again? He shook his head at himself. Clearly, he hadn’t gotten enough sleep the night before.  
  
And who could sleep when St. Canard was in danger? Certainly not him. In fact, Darkwing foresaw a lot of sleepless nights ahead. A lot of them. He suppressed a groan. For once, couldn’t the town function without him? One measly day. That’s all he asked. Was that too much?  
  
Probably. He’d just cleaned up that mess. Why did he have to go out and do it again? Why couldn’t it stay clean for once?  
  
As he drove through the city, he was unaware of Negaduck looming overhead on a nearby building and watching him move with a sneer. Darkwing might’ve been the terror that flapped in the night, but Negaduck was the malice that lurked in the day. And night.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who forgot to update her fic for two weeks even though she's ahead in writing it? 
> 
> This idiot. lawl

Night had fallen over St. Canard and its erstwhile defender, Darkwing Duck, had had too many cups of coffee already. He was jittery and he’d dragged Launchpad out with him. If he was going to suffer, then it wouldn’t be alone. And yes, he’d invariably crash from the coffee, but that was what he had Launchpad for. Gosalyn was at home--it was a school night--and he wasn’t sure where Lena had gotten off to. Barely alive for a day and she was already stirring up trouble.  
  
Ahem. Where was he? Oh, yes, the city of St. Canard trembled under the villainous onslaught of Negaduck and his partners in crime, but Darkwing Duck was there to keep the city from falling to its knees. Maybe leaning over a bit, but it wouldn’t fall. The police were stationed everywhere, but they couldn’t predict where Negaduck might strike. A pall seemed to have fallen over the city and creeping tendrils of darkness drifted about the city. It was unnerving, to be honest, and Launchpad was shuddering next to him.  
  
“Calm down, LP,” Darkwing scoffed. “I, Darkwing Duck, am the scourge of evil-doers everywhere. They hear my name and tremble.”  
  
“Maybe if you’re about to sneeze,” Launchpad muttered. Darkwing shot him a dirty look.  
  
“Do you doubt me?” he retorted. “I’ll have you know I’m the number one vigilante in town.”  
  
“When Gizmoduck’s not here, you mean.”  
  
Darkwing Duck hopped up and down, irritated with his sidekick’s editorial commentary. He glowered at him and folded his arms across his chest. Maybe it was the combination of five cups of coffee and very little sleep talking, but he was starting to get annoyed. Unfortunately, it seemed like the villains in town, Launchpad was impervious to his bad mood. What did he have to do to get some respect around here?  
  
“Gizmoduck belongs to Duckburg. I am St. Canard’s lone avenger, the single light against an ever increasing spread of darkness, the last stop on the bus route before chaos--”  
  
“And there’s a robbery right beneath you,” Launchpad interrupted. Darkwing froze; they were perched atop a rooftop near a St. Canard Savings Bank. He didn’t see anything, though. What was Launchpad talking about? Squinting, he leaned forward and almost fell off. (“I am Darkwing...splat.”)  
  
“Where?” he demanded.  
  
“Right--” Launchpad’s beak froze and no words came out. A figure floated before them and he breathed a sigh of relief. Morgana. What was she doing here? It didn’t make much sense, but he wasn’t one to look a gift horse in the mouth. Then again, since when did Morgana team up to help him fight crime?  
  
“Morgana? What’s going on?” Darkwing asked. She landed gracefully like a cat atop the building and pushed Launchpad aside. The pilot was frozen and while Darkwing knew that Launchpad and Morgana had this weird love/hate relationship going on, mostly because they both wanted him, this seemed a little extreme. He poked Launchpad in the chest and the man remained utterly immobile. Uneasy, he glanced back at his girlfriend.  
  
“And why’s LP a statue?”  
  
“Dark, darling, we need to talk.”  
  
Oh, boy. No good conversations ever started with those four words. Confused, still not seeing the robbery Launchpad had claimed was taking place, he shifted his focus to her. Even now, she was arresting; her robes flowed and she made his heart skip beats. He was enthralled by her.  
  
“What, uh, what is it?” he said and started self-consciously fixing his hat, his cape, and his clothes. “Is there something stuck in my teeth?”  
  
“We should see other people,” she said and it felt like someone had sucker punched him in the stomach. Baffled, he gaped at her. The words refused to compute. Was she...dumping him? No, that couldn’t be right. Even before they’d hooked up, she’d been mad about him.  
  
“I’ve changed,” she continued, oblivious to the gears grinding to a halt in his head. “You’re not satisfying me anymore.”  
  
The gears struggled to move, but there was a giant cog in the machine. He blinked, unable to speak, and still unable to put the pieces together. He gawked at her.  
  
“You’re not evil enough for me, Dark. You’re not half the man Negaduck is.”  
  
“Wait, what?” he said, barely able to push those words out. “Nega-Negaduck? What does he have to do with me and you? And since when are you evil again? You weren’t even evil to start with...you were trying to pay off student loans…”  
  
Morgana sniffed. “Negaduck knows how to please a woman. He’ll make me rich and powerful beyond my wildest dreams.”  
  
Darkwing’s gaze flitted to Launchpad, who remained frozen except for his eyes, which were wide in horror. He remained perplexed. Morgana...loved him. Morgana had always loved him. How could she be dumping him? And for...Negaduck of all people?  
  
“But...I brought Eek and Squeak back to the house for you…” he said lamely. “They’re in Gosalyn’s room.”  
  
“Eek and Squeak?” she repeated and her demeanor shifted. That strange way she had of holding herself now, stiff and unyielding, softened slightly. She landed on the rooftop and he glimpsed conflict in her eyes. Balling her fists, she pulled herself back together.  
  
“They’re still alive?” she said.  
  
“Of course they are. But why would you want Negaduck?” he said, returning to their previous topic. Morgana frowned, looking like she wanted to say something but unable to utter it. There was pain etched in her features and despite himself, he stepped closer to hug her.  
  
“They’re still alive?” she repeated. “I thought Negaduck killed them.”  
  
“Yeah, uh, why are you dumping me for him again? You weren’t exactly clear on that.”  
  
He hugged her and she pushed him away. If there was an internal struggle there, he wasn’t perceptive enough to catch it. Her whole body was shaking and she shifted away from him. It was like she didn’t want to be anywhere near him, even if he’d caught her arms moving toward him before she’d pushed him aside.  
  
“She’s found someone better,” Negaduck crooned, joining them on the rooftop. “I know just what she likes. And unlike you, I have more than two brain cells to rub together.”  
  
“Ha! If you’re supposed to be my evil double, then you have exactly the same amount of brain cells I do!” he countered. “Wait...I don’t have two brain cells. I mean, I have a lot more than that. Right, LP?”  
  
“...you forgot your sidekick was frozen,” Negaduck said. “You’re brilliant.”  
  
Morgana glanced from one male duck to the other. Her trembling increased and she didn’t seem to know where to go or where to put her feet. She seemed to be pleading with Darkwing for something, but he couldn’t imagine what.  
  
Negaduck grabbed Morgana by the waist and kissed her soundly on the beak. He then squeezed her to him and leered at Darkwing, who had no idea what was going on, only that he didn’t like it. Morgana had sounded genuinely distressed about Eek and Squeak. Why wasn’t she pursuing that? And why was she letting Negaduck put his hands all over her?  
  
“Morgana?” he queried, feeling his heart break. “Morg?”  
  
“Give it up!” Negaduck laughed. “You’re beaten! The city will soon be mine and your squeeze is mine! You have nothing!”  
  
He leaned in closer to him. “And as soon as I figure out where you live, you really won’t have anything.  
  
“I’d love to stay and chew the fat, but I’ve got places to rob and people to torture!” Negaduck said and cackled. “Don’t wait up!”  
  
Using a grappling hook, he and Morgana swung away. Darkwing was left, stunned, staring in their absence. He fell to his knees and Launchpad unfroze beside him. He wasn’t sure how much his sidekick had heard or seen, being in that stasis. But Launchpad put a hand on his shoulder anyway.  
  
“Don’t say it, LP,” he begged. “I don’t think I can bear it.”  
  
To his relief, Launchpad said nothing. Instead, he swept him up in a tight hug and Darkwing felt like crumbling. Morgana had left him for Negaduck. She was back to being his enemy and it was like everything they’d gone through meant nothing to her. Should he have even rescued Eek and Squeak? Yes, he should have, because it was the right thing to do.  
  
He cursed, remembering the parting shots Negaduck had made. Negaduck might not know where Darkwing lived, but Morgana did. She could lead him straight to Gosalyn. That meant Gosalyn wasn’t safe. As much as he hated to admit it, as much as he wanted to wallow in his sorrow, he couldn’t afford to. The only safe place he could think of offhand was McDuck Manor. He’d better get her there as soon as possible. He could protect himself. Gosalyn couldn’t.  
  
“Back to the house. Now, LP,” he ordered once his sidekick had put him down. “We need to get to Gosalyn before anyone else does.”  
  
He could no longer trust Morgana to keep her secrets, it seemed. His alter ego suddenly felt entirely too close and foolhardy. How could he have thought it’d protect them for too long? But then again, how could he have foreseen that Morgana would betray him?  
  
And Gosalyn. He could almost understand that she was upset with him, but why put Gos at risk too? What could she hope to gain from that? Sure, she and Gosalyn didn’t always get along, but that was no reason to take out her frustrations on his daughter.  
  
At the back of his mind, something bothered him. Morgana hadn’t been acting quite right. For now, it was a secondary concern and he brushed it aside. He’d worry about it later when he had the time and energy. And maybe after a few hours of shut-eye, after he and Launchpad had brought Gosalyn to Duckburg. No sooner.  
  


* * *

  
  
Morgana felt like her insides had been shredded. Darkwing and Launchpad grew smaller in the distance and she feared for Gosalyn. She wasn’t sure why NegaGosalyn was alive, other than that Negaduck didn’t care enough about her one way or the other, but hurting Gosalyn here would strike a terrible blow to Darkwing and they both knew it. Plus, Gosalyn was a child. She was relatively innocent. Even while Negaduck bragged while they flew over St. Canard and she gave him directions, it felt like her mind was disconnected from her mouth.  
  
She did not want to do this. Her own feelings mattered little, but she felt like she could shout it from the rooftops. That said nothing for the crushed look on Dark’s face after she’d told him the lies Negaduck had made her utter. Part of her relished the anguish she’d caused him and the other part, her true self, was appalled. The magical compulsion ruthlessly crushed that down. It derided her for being weak and maybe she was, but attacking Darkwing’s family was cowardly.  
  
Plus, she knew Gosalyn trusted her. She’d open the door willingly to her. Unless Launchpad flew like a maniac, which was entirely possible, she and Negaduck would get to the house first. That meant Gosalyn didn’t stand a chance, not unless she put two and two together far faster than her father. But if Morgana went alone, without Negaduck, Gosalyn would probably accompany her, regardless. Morgana’s stomach roiled and she heard Darkwing’s broken voice say, “Morg?” in her head. She stiffened.  
  
“Drake Mallard, huh?” Negaduck sneered. “Good thing I shed that name decades ago. It was nothing but trouble, being a ‘normal’ person. I killed anyone who knew me as that, too. Dead people tell no tales.”  
  
“What are you going to do to Gosalyn?” she asked. The two halves of her personality cleaved to that question.  
  
Negaduck smiled. “I find surprises are better enjoyed when they remain surprises.”  
  
Morgana’s stomach clenched painfully. They had to rely on her magic to convey them across town, which meant they were at a disadvantage. She hoped that continued and that Darkwing got Gosalyn to safety in time. Of course, that part was at odds with the part that concurred with Negaduck and was already envisioning terrible things happening to Gosalyn. Morgana thought she might be sick from the conflict.  
  
It all depended on whether Darkwing had taken the Ratcatcher or the Thunderquack. If he’d taken the Thunderquack, then he’d stand a better chance of beating them. She couldn’t compete with it. However, compared to her magic, the Ratcatcher was slow. She found herself desperate for him to have flown. More than ever, she didn’t want Negaduck to win.  
  
It took them fifteen minutes to cross town, during which Negaduck regaled her with plans for Gosalyn. He didn’t want her dead, she found, but that didn’t mean he didn’t have a problem dumping her in the Negaverse and leaving her to rot. He intended to imprison her in there and keep her far from her father. It was a negligent type of abuse, which was better than his hurting her, but it didn’t sit well with her either.  
  
When they arrived, they descended gently to the ground and Negaduck blew the front door off its hinges. Morgana followed and she knew, without further examination, that the house was empty. Relief flooded her. She was shaking; it was a good thing Negaduck wasn’t paying any attention to her.  
  
“How did he beat us here?” Negaduck growled. Morgana scurried upstairs, where she found Eek and Squeak in a cardboard box with blankets. She scooped her precious familiars to her chest and then faltered. If Negaduck discovered they were still alive, he might try, more permanently, to kill them. Moreover, they were her only link to Darkwing right now. If he returned home or even if he went back to his lair, she’d be able to keep tabs on him. The thought appealed to both sides of her and she reluctantly put her familiars back in their box. They whined pitifully at her.  
  
“I know, I know,” she murmured, careful not to draw Negaduck’s attention. “But I can’t risk it, darlings. Take good care of Dark, won’t you?”  
  
It felt like a gut wrench when she added, against her will, “Or I’ll take care of him for you.”  
  
The familiars looked confused and she couldn’t elucidate them. Trembling, she stepped away from the box and glanced again at Darkwing’s bedroom. She caressed the bedposts. Her heart was breaking, shattering into pieces.  
  
She ignored Negaduck’s tirades and left the house with that strange conflicted feeling. Negaduck vowed that he’d find Gosalyn and hurt Darkwing; she tuned him out. Now that there was no urgency, they could afford to fly without haste back to Negaduck’s lair in St. Canard. He was ranting and she couldn’t stop seeing the look in Darkwing’s eyes as she’d told him she was breaking up with him. It looped in her head.  
  
Once they were back at the lair, despite his earlier promises, he left her to her own devices. She centered herself magically and astral projected to Darkwing’s side. She had a feeling the compulsion wouldn’t let her tell him what had really happened, but she had to check up on him. The anguish she felt for him competed with her deep love for him and it was torture. Had Negaduck meant to make her so thoroughly miserable? Or was that just a delightful side effect?  
  
As soon as she saw Darkwing was in Duckburg, she wrenched her attention away. Though she had an inkling where he was taking Gosalyn, she didn’t want her theory confirmed. If it was, then Negaduck would storm McDuck Manor. She’d rather have plausible deniability. Gos...Morgana sighed. The innocents were always the first to get hurt.  
  
She left a replica of herself in Darkwing’s mind to play when he went to sleep. Maybe that version of herself would be able to tell him the truth. She doubted it, but it was her only chance to come clean. Tears pricked her eyes and she hugged herself. It seemed Negaduck’s power waned when he wasn’t around her.  
  
“I love you…” she whispered. “And I’m so, so sorry, Dark…”  
  


* * *

  
  
Once he’d ensured Gosalyn was safe, Darkwing had returned to his lair. He could barely think through the pain fogging his mind. Curling up in bed, he stared at the ceiling. The change had been so sudden. Why now, of all times, had Morgana switched sides? She’d always acted like she loved him. How could she betray him like this?  
  
Morose, he rolled over onto his side and tried to sleep. Sleep, at least, would numb him to the anguish and the heartache. Sleep was the great panacea, after all. He hadn’t told Gosalyn what had happened, which she’d resented, but he hadn’t felt like going into the details. Launchpad could tell her if he wanted. He didn’t need Gosalyn sneaking out because she was worried about him.  
  
He’d be just fine. He’d been fine on his own before and he’d do so again now. Except, well, maybe he wouldn’t. Burying his face in the pillow, he sobbed.  
  
“Dark?”  
  
The voice was faint but he’d recognize it anywhere. Lifting his tear-streaked face, he glanced around. The sensation of a frying pan struck his head, except it was more a metaphorical frying pan than a real one. Nonetheless, Darkwing collapsed into sleep.  
  
Morgana remained elusive, a phantom floating before him. Her shoulders were shaking and her back was toward him. He tried to turn her to face him, but she wouldn’t look at him. It was like trying to turn around a silhouette.  
  
“I didn’t want to do it, you know,” she said softly.  
  
“You’re just a dream,” he announced. “You’re not real. You’re playing with my head.”  
  
Morgana spun and though her features remained in shadow, her hand cupping his cheek felt real. He glanced up toward where her eyes ought to be and tears shone in the shadows.  
  
“I never meant to hurt you, Dark.”  
  
He didn’t know how to handle this. Of course his mind was supplying him with what he wanted to hear. Part of him wanted to break away and the other part longed to remain this close to her, knowing that he might not get another chance. Knowing that Negaduck had stolen her from him.  
  
“I can’t control what I’m going to say,” she warned.  
  
“Sure you can’t,” he scoffed.  
  
“Would you listen to me? You’re so stubborn,” she huffed. “Men.”  
  
“Yeah, well, you picked Negaduck over me, so I don’t see how I’m worse.” It was childish and she hissed, balling her fists.  
  
“I never wanted any of this to happen. Negaduck is--Negaduck is---” she cursed, rhyming with ‘duck’. “I still can’t say it. Oh, I could wring his neck.”  
  
“Wait, what?” he said, cocking his head, baffled again. “Whose neck?”  
  
“Listen to me, Dark, because I don’t have much time. You can’t trust anything I say or do for a while. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”  
  
“Yeah, right,” he scoffed. “And you have a bridge to sell me too, sister. I’m not buying it.”  
  
“You idiot!” she exploded. “Why can’t you listen, for once in your life, instead of jumping to conclusions? I can’t say--I can’t say---”  
  
She cursed again.  
  
“When this is over, I’m going to kill him,” she muttered and then vanished, leaving him more confused than before. He awoke, lonely and miserable, in bed by himself.  
  
He didn’t sleep the rest of the night and when the morning came, he had convinced himself that the ‘dream’ he’d had was nothing but that, a figment of his overactive imagination.  
  


* * *

  
  
Morgana was frustrated with herself and Darkwing. She’d known, going into this, that Darkwing was a stubborn, vain, arrogant, thick-headed jerk. She’d accepted the good with the bad. This was unbelievable, though. Perhaps part of it was that she’d struck a fierce blow to both his ego and his emotions. The other part might be that he didn’t believe in astral projection. She hadn’t taken the time to inform him, either, before Negaduck had sprung his nasty surprise on her.  
  
But how much work would it involve for him to realize that she was being held against her will? Could he really not see beyond his own beak?  
  
Negaduck hadn’t forced her into anything, as far as that went, but that didn’t stop her from feeling unnerved being near him. Negaduck struck her as a selfish, sadistic lover and that was something she never wanted to experience. But that brought her back to Darkwing, as all paths did.  
  
She sighed, staring at the ceiling. She wasn’t going to get much sleep tonight either.  
  


* * *

  
  
They couldn’t risk bringing Lena back to St. Canard, which meant they’d have to explain how she’d gotten there. That meant that Huey, Gosalyn, and Webby had to come up with a plausible explanation that shifted the blame off of them. Thus far, they’d come up with nothing and Gosalyn wanted to use her old stand-by: lying. Never mind that it probably wouldn’t work in this instance. Gosalyn wanted to give it a shot anyway.  
  
Webby was anxious and pacing the room in front of Lena. Lena was watching her and it felt like whenever their eyes met, she grew more and more nervous. She couldn’t think of a way to explain this without implicating themselves. Plus, the longer they stood here worrying about it, the worse it would get. They’d have to say something soon.  
  
Steeling herself, she knocked on Uncle Scrooge’s office door. He beckoned them to enter without opening the door himself and his ghost butler, Duckworth, drifted through in front of them. Webby yelped and Duckworth looked smug before he held the door open for the quartet. Gosalyn blew Duckworth a raspberry.  
  
“Now, what is it, Webbigail?” he asked without turning around.  
  
“You might wanna look for this one,” Lena deadpanned and Scrooge spun about so fast Webby was surprised the chair hadn’t tossed him onto the floor.  
  
“Lena de Spell?” he cried, outraged. “You...you went into my Bin without my permission, didn’t ye? I told ye it was off limits and ye broke in there anyway! Where is Magica de Spell? How long did ye intend to keep this from me?”  
  
He jumped to his feet and growled, looking far more like Glomgold, his arch-rival, than the normally even-tempered Scrooge McDuck. The infamous McDuck temper was coming into play.  
  
“We rescued her because you kept her locked up for fifteen years!” Gosalyn retorted.  
  
“I had a damn good reason!” he shot back. He slammed his palms on the table. “Where. Is. Magica?”  
  
“We don’t know,” Huey blurted, having been startled into speaking. Webby noticed that Lena’s gaze slid from Scrooge to the open window. Did she know something? No, that was ridiculous. What could she possibly know?  
  
“Are ye sure?” Scrooge growled. “Because I dinnae wanna scour the city looking for Magica de Spell to cause trouble.”  
  
“We’re sure,” Gosalyn said.  
  
Scrooge cursed quietly. “My worst enemy loose and ye dinnae know where you left her. Wonderful. Well, she’s not around here. I’d have noticed if she were. I’ve got eyes like an eagle, ye know. And a mind as sharp as a steel trap.”  
  
It wasn’t Webby’s imagination. Lena was looking awkward, standing there with her arms folded across her chest.  
  
“Lena?” Webby inquired.  
  
“I dinnae hold it against you, lass,” Scrooge said to her. “I shouldn't have left you trapped in there for so long.”  
  
Lena nodded, though her gaze remained hooked onto the green carpet as if it were the most fascinating thing in the world.  
  
“I’m sorry about that,” Scrooge said and then scowled. “But ye should have waited until ye knew what was going to happen before unleashing Magica on the world! Now we have to find her.”  
  
“We’ll help you look,” Huey offered. “It’s the least we can do, after, you know.”  
  
“Aye, you will at that,” Scrooge agreed and his eyes narrowed. “But we don’t know the first place to search. We’re gonna have to involve Gyro, I think. Maybe he can get a lock on sentient shadows.”  
  
Webby wasn’t so certain about that. How could you use science to track down magic? Then again, this was their fault, so they needed to help him however they could. Scrooge grabbed his top hat off the coat tree and then headed for the door. They trooped out with him.  
  
Darkwing had warned Gosalyn not to stray too far from McDuck Manor, but there was a tunnel that linked the Money Bin to the manor. Therefore, they didn’t need to actually leave the manor to reach it and the lab, although they could if they wanted to. Gosalyn thought she was perfectly safe, although admittedly Darkwing hadn’t given her the details. Webby thought there was a reason Darkwing was keeping her in the dark, but she couldn’t quite convince Gosalyn of that.  
  
As they left, Webby cast a glance over at Mrs. Beakley, who was muttering to herself while dusting a painting. What was odd was that her voice had a sibilant hiss beneath her normal tone and Webby blinked. Yet when she listened again, after their eyes met, her granny sounded perfectly normal. Maybe she’d been imagining things, like the thing with Lena.  
  
“Where are you lot off to?” Mrs. Beakley inquired.  
  
“Off to talk to Gyro. Magica de Spell has gone missing,” Scrooge said and his expression darkened. “Keep a lookout, will you, Beakley? We dinnae need her to be lurking about here.”  
  
“Will do, Mr. McDuck,” she responded. “What does Gyro have to do with this?”  
  
“I’ll see if Gyro can whip up a device that can track magical energy,” he answered. “Shouldn’t be too hard for him.”  
  
Mrs. Beakley’s eyes narrowed for a second and, to Webby’s consternation, she saw malice there. Then it was gone. Was she seeing things today? What was going on?  
  
“Good luck,” Mrs. Beakley said and Scrooge inclined his head and went back to the garage. He knew Launchpad ought to be there; he’d returned to stay there after Darkwing had brought Gosalyn to McDuck Manor. At least Scrooge wouldn’t need to worry about where his driver and pilot had gone.  
  
They piled into the car and Webby stared out the window. Something very strange was going on and she didn’t know what. She glanced over at Lena, who was back to staring at her phone. Lena was using the phone as a shield against the outside world, but to what avail? Webby glanced from her to her sister, Gosalyn, who was frowning too.  
  
“What do you think Dad’s keeping from me?” Gosalyn asked.  
  
“I have no idea. It probably has something to do with the crime sprees in St. Canard, though,” Webby said.  
  
“He seems really upset about something,” Gosalyn replied. “But I can’t figure out what.”  
  
“Maybe it’s an adult thing,” Webby said.  
  
“Maybe,” Gosalyn said, but she didn’t believe it and, to be honest, neither did Webby. Something much larger was at play here and they needed to get to the bottom of it. It didn’t feel like the thing with Taurus Bulba and Doofus Drake, which had been personal for both of them. This felt more like it involved the adults.  
  
That didn’t mean they didn’t have a stake in it. It just meant they’d have to try harder to be informed. No matter what it took.  
  


* * *

  
  
Gyro could not be allowed to create anything that might lead to her. She’d have to sabotage his inventions. Or she could sabotage the man himself. Magica grinned. Mrs. Beakley’s form was perfect for pummeling the stuffing out of people and the chicken man was so skinny and innocent, he’d never see it coming, especially not from her.  
  
This didn’t bring her any closer to Morgana, however, which meant she’d have to take a detour. Oh well. All good things came to those who waited. And she had been waiting a very long time for this revenge. She fully intended to enjoy it.  
  
Even if it meant silencing Lena permanently to keep her from spilling the beans and putting Gyro into a coma. These were acceptable losses. And really, who would consider them losses anyway? Gyro was a pest and Lena was, well...just a child. She didn’t matter to anyone.  
  
Within her, Mrs. Beakley bristled again. Apparently, she found the idea of hurting a child morally repugnant. That was too bad, because she didn’t have control anymore. Magica did. And she would do whatever was expedient.  
  
And if killing them was expedient, who was she to argue?  
  
Of course, doing so would blow her cover, but she’d deal with that bridge when she got to it. Magica watched the others depart and smiled to herself. Yes, she’d be very busy soon. And that was how she liked it.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magica attempts to cow Gyro, which backfires badly. Morgana betrays Darkwing's confidence, and Gosalyn makes a fatal error. (Not literally fatal, just...not a bad choice).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not in a great place emotionally right now. I'm sort of hanging on by a thread over here. So, I'm updating early, because, you know, reviews? And kudos? Maybe?

Magica waited outside of McDuck Industries’ lab. The sun had fallen, everyone was asleep, and she knew only Gyro and possibly Fenton were still awake, burning the midnight oil. Manny might be up too, that dreadful magical man/horse creation. In terms of equations, he was the only variable she might have to worry about. She’d tread carefully and avoid interacting with him if at all possible.

She had debated whether she ought to wear a costume to conceal her identity and then realized her body type was too familiar to cloak. Likewise, she’d have to immobilize the security cameras and erase their footage. It was hard to be subtle when you were a giant duck. Magica scoffed, irritated with the form she had taken, but the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. Mrs. Beakley’s body might be ungainly, but her position to Scrooge was unrivaled, not to mention her access. 

She found Gyro hunched over a computer keyboard and grumbling to himself. Fenton was polishing the Gizmoduck suit in a corner and passing out every few seconds only to rouse himself right after. Magica reached for her amulet, the one she’d ripped off Lena. She sent a powerful concussive magical wave through the room. Fenton succumbed immediately, but Gyro and Manny were resistant. Gyro looked up.

“Beakley, what are you doing here?” Gyro asked, spinning around. Her hand tightened on the amulet and he gasped. She cocked her head and considered the situation. Beating the crap out of Gyro had appeal, not the least because he’d always been a smarmy jerk. Alternatively, it wasn’t exactly subtle. All fingers would point toward her and it’d out her.

Mrs. Beakley’s consciousness stirred within her mind and she shunted it back down. She battered the woman’s memories, too, and subdued her forcefully. She didn’t care what became of her host when she was finished with her. If Mrs. Beakley was a broken shell, it didn’t matter. It might even provide a modicum of amusement.

She sent out the magical wave again and Gyro stumbled. Manny, however, didn’t. If a magical construct with Scrooge’s head could look suspicious, it did. It pawed the floor and then pounded it, delivering a Morse code warning. She hissed. Of course--like calls to like. Magic calls to like. He’d recognize her in a heartbeat.

“Magica de Spell? Are you sure?” Gyro repeated. 

The time for subtlety was over. She grabbed Gyro and squeezed her amulet. Like Lena had before, Gyro choked and Manny’s pounding grew more frantic. He lowered his head as if he was about to charge and Magica waggled a finger at her.

“I could kill him, you know. Then where would you be?”

Manny kicked Fenton and the intern blinked blearily before falling back asleep. Her spell must’ve tapped into sleep deprivation. She snorted, glancing at her captive. All of a sudden, she had a much better idea. She wouldn’t kill him. She wouldn’t even put him in a coma.

She would turn him against Scrooge. Letting up pressure on his throat, she deposited him back in his chair. Gyro gasped, eyelids fluttering, and retreated up against the table. She could smell his fear and confusion. The former she delighted in and the latter induced a chortle. Poor little scientist.

“How could you be Magica de Spell?” he gasped out once he’d regained his breathing. “You’re...but Manny’s never wrong…”

He straightened up. “The Other Bin! Someone must have freed you!”

“Very good,” Magica said. “And I know you wouldn’t want this information to fall into the wrong hands.”

“And that’s exactly why I’m calling Mr. McDuck right now!”

“No. You’re not.”

She leaned into him and squeezed the amulet, not enough to choke him, but enough to deliver a reprimand. Gyro coughed and shuddered. She glanced up at Manny and her beak quirked into a cruel smile.

“If you interfere or tell Mr. McDuck, either of you, I will personally hunt you to the end of your days. I will make what’s left of your lives utterly miserable.”

“He defeated you once. He can do it again,” Gyro spat out. She assessed him and then punched him in the face. With Mrs. Beakley’s body, this landed with satisfying power and he sagged in his seat. He crashed into the computer table and then crashed to the floor. She snickered.

“You are going to ensure he doesn’t find out. Or the consequences will be dire.”

“You can’t hurt Manny. He’s not alive.”

Damn. He had a point. She could subjugate Gyro and Fenton, but Manny had nothing to fear from her. As far as she knew, the magical construct couldn’t be intimidated. That was problematic. If she had more time, she could examine the magical cords that threaded him together and unwind them. Did Scrooge know Morse code? He was old enough to have learned it and unlike the others, he had no reason to lie or conceal the truth to protect himself. 

She needed to take the magical construct out without bothering to unwind the spells binding him and deal with the fallout later.

Squeezing her amulet again, she attempted to sever Manny’s head from his body. When that proved too difficult, she froze the construct and, still iced, dumped him in the tank next to the lab. Lifting him was a nuisance, her magic far weaker than normal, and when she’d finished, she was shaking. It didn’t help that this body wasn’t a magical conduit. It also didn’t help that when her concentration was elsewhere, Mrs. Beakley had surged up and knocked her to the side. 

She could feel Mrs. Beakley’s bewilderment and it ought to have been strong enough to punt her away again, but the ex-spy was stronger than her right now. Gyro was watching her with wide eyes and Magica knew he was assessing the situation.

“You don’t have your full powers,” he surmised.

“Erase the footage. Turn the cameras off,” she ordered and grabbed her amulet. She followed up by striking him again. It felt like both she and Mrs. Beakley were controlling the body, which was disconcerting for both of them. It was like everything was being seen and felt twice as much.

“You’re possessing Mrs. Beakley and you can’t completely control her.”

He sounded smug again and she snapped. She grabbed him by the throat and applied pressure. Appalled, Mrs. Beakley fought her control and she was waging a war on two fronts. Gyro was struggling, though he was pathetic in comparison, but Mrs. Beakley was determined to protect the scientist and regain her body. 

“Tell me how to erase the cameras,” she hissed. “Or I’ll kill you. I don’t need magic to destroy you.”

“You may not,” he gasped out, “but Mr. McDuck is going to be awfully suspicious if you kill me. Especially if he suspects foul play.”

She’d taken the time to put on gloves, but the cameras would give her away, regardless. Gyro’s refusal to cooperate was getting on her every last nerve. She shook him so hard that his eyes rolled and his teeth probably rattled.

“If you want my help, then you’re going to have to be less aggressive.”

“How dare you dictate terms!” she snapped. She yearned to murder him, despite knowing that it’d tip her hand. How had he survived being this irritating for this long?

“You need me,” he said and she loosened her grip. “Let’s face it. Mr. McDuck has a huge security leak right now and even if you kill me, my death isn’t going to solve the problem. It’ll be the beginning of your problems.”

He had leverage. Oh, how she loathed him.

“What do you propose?” 

His eyes flashed. “You have nothing I want. I, however, have a few things you want. Namely, the ability to reveal you at any time.”

Magica cursed inwardly and Mrs. Beakley laughed in her mind.

((Hoisted by your own petard, eh, Magica? You tried to blackmail Lena and it only worked because she’s afraid of you. Gyro isn’t.))

“You don’t care if I kill you?” she snapped.

“Like I said, killing me solves nothing and only complicates the matter. Besides, alive, you might be able to get what you want. If I’m dead, Mr. McDuck will find out where Magica went and chase you out.”

“You assume he can.”

“You assume he can’t. When it comes to betting on Mr. McDuck, I’d put my money on him.”

Fenton was the only variable here that had behaved properly. Glowering at him, she sat in a chair near Gyro and folded her arms across her sizeable chest.

“What do you want?” she spat.

“Like I said, you have nothing I want. However…” he smiled and his eyes lit up with scientific curiosity. “I wouldn’t mind examining your amulet. I’m curious as to how you have any magic at all when Mrs. Beakley doesn’t.”

Great. She was a science experiment. 

“If you let me examine it, I promise I won’t tell Mr. McDuck that you were here. Or whose body you’re possessing. But--if you threaten me one more time, I’ll tell him regardless. And this is a limited time offer. When I’m done with the amulet, you can’t buy my silence.”

Magica swallowed back impotent rage. She couldn’t believe this was happening. In her mind, Mrs. Beakley was not bothering to conceal her mirth. Magica briefly considered murdering her, even if it’d leave her without a body to inhabit. Holy expletive.

“Do we have a deal?” Gyro asked. 

At best, she’d be postponing the inevitable. Once she had the dime, however, she’d be in a position of power over him. And she might consider changing bodies to Scrooge and then destroying Gyro. No, she’d rather do that from her own body. Wearing someone else’s skin was turning out to be highly vexing.

“Yes,” she said through gritted teeth. “We have a deal.”

Holding out his hand, he offered it to her and she shook it. She handed over the amulet, the tingle of power on her fingertips tantalizing. She could still knock him out the mundane way. Knock him out, and...oh, no. Wait. She had a much better idea.

If she slipped from Mrs. Beakley to Gyro, who would believe Beakley when she told Scrooge that Magica had changed bodies? He wouldn’t be able to prove Gyro was possessed without his inventions. Moreover, the irascible genius would be aloof normally and prone to feeling insulted by the smallest slight. This wasn’t how she’d planned things and it’d be a circle removed than what she’d like to get the dime, but it would solve the problem, albeit temporarily.

Squeezing the amulet, she wiped Mrs. Beakley’s mind and then threw herself into Gyro’s body. The chicken scientist stumbled and Mrs. Beakley fell over. The vessel she’d been in before was too large in terms of physicality but too small in terms of room to maneuver with Mrs. Beakley’s personality. If she’d thought Mrs. Beakley had a strong force of will, she’d been mistaken. Gyro was infuriated by her intrusion.

But it didn’t matter. The brief touch had been all she needed. Using Gyro’s knowledge, she purged the cameras and glanced at Mrs. Beakley. Ideally, she’d have kept her for a pawn, but her magic wasn’t good enough for that yet. Once she had the dime, it’d be another story.

Oh, well. She was sure that loose end wouldn’t come back to bite her in any significant way.

Working in Gyro’s body was irritating, more so than being in Mrs. Beakley’s. For one thing, although she had blindsided both of them, Gyro’s corrections and insistence on doing things a particular way drove her mad. For another, she couldn’t shut him up. Apparently, she was “moving his body all wrong” and she “had no sense of what she was doing”. She could just picture how Mrs. Beakley would have responded to that. 

Of the housekeeper/ex-spy, she hadn’t been able to move her. When her magic had renewed, she’d dragged her into a closet (to which Gyro had remarked, “Oh, that’s not suspicious at all!”). She found herself doing what Gyro had wanted, which was examining the amulet, but not quite in the way he’d wanted. It was easy to access his knowledge and because his mind was so well organized, she flushed out what she wanted in terms of shielding herself from Scrooge’s influence. Using magic and science together, she hid from supernatural or scientific detection. 

With that accomplished, she forced Gyro to the closet door (“why did you bother to put her there in the first place if you were only going to take her back out?”), wiped his mind as soon as she forced him to open the door, and then grabbed Mrs. Beakley back again. Mrs. Beakley knocked Gyro out, again wiped the cameras, and then departed. She might be leaving a trail of oddness behind her, but she doubted Mr. McDuck, crap, she meant Scrooge, would have noticed. Gyro probably wouldn’t report what little he remembered to Scrooge and Mrs. Beakley had had no opportunity to do so.

With her work completed, she decided the body could use some sleep. She shuffled off back to the manor to catch some shut-eye before moving forward with her plan.  


* * *

Morgana Macawber was not happy. She was also exhausted, having spent the entire night tossing and turning when she wasn’t awake and staring at the ceiling. Negaduck was irritatingly cheerful this morning and it made her want to pluck his feathers off. He hadn’t even gotten what he’d wanted from her and yet, he acted as he had. Well, maybe he’d gotten some of what he wanted. Darkwing Duck was miserable and yearning for her.

Negaduck strutted around the place like the king of the farmyard. With all of their ill-gotten gains and her on their side, it looked like he didn’t have much left to plan. That had to be wrong, however. Negaduck was never satisfied. Unfortunately, he didn’t trust her enough to divulge what was next up.

Darkwing’s total and complete humiliation was probably a good place to start. Darkwing didn’t show his face during the day, not as his superhero self, but if he ventured out as Drake Mallard, Negaduck would have him pinned. If Darkwing had an iota of common sense, which was debatable, he’d be holing up in his lair. Negaduck hadn’t asked her where that was, for which she was grateful. However, she bet it was a temporary reprieve. It’d occur to him sooner or later without her prompting.

Now that they were in his planning room, which was an old office he’d taken over in one of the skyscrapers, she gravitated toward him. He gestured for her to join him and she sat on his lap. The proximity made her mentally squirm. Negaduck grinned and wrapped his arms about her waist.

Negaduck also had plans for any other superheroes that might be hiding within the city. The only one that came to mind besides Darkwing was Gizmoduck, who resided in Duckburg anyway. They’d have to lure him here to defeat him. Morgana didn’t know Gizmoduck’s weaknesses and neither did Negaduck, hence their brainstorming moment now.

The Gizmoduck thing wasn’t personal. It was more like tying up loose ends. They didn’t want to take the chance that someone might be able to thwart them. The St. Canard police department was a joke. They didn’t even enter into the equation.

She let the villains’ discussion wash over her. Her hands were wandering, against her will, and she ignored that too. She wouldn’t focus on how little power she had here. Did Darkwing have her familiars? Was he taking good care of them despite everything?

She didn’t know. She didn’t know if Gosalyn was safe either.

It sounded like Negaduck was giving up on Gosalyn, at least for the time being. He didn’t think she was that important and, to her horror, she found herself speaking and interrupting. Negaduck hated interruptions, but this was important. And entirely contrary to what she wanted to say.

“Darkwing told me Gosalyn told him about when she’d accidentally jumped to the future and he’d gone insane after losing her for a few years,” Morgana said, breaking another confidence. She hated herself.

“Interesting,” Negaduck said and nuzzled her. Bile rose in her throat. “Thanks for the tip. Do you have any idea where Gosalyn might be?”

“Duckburg,” she blurted before she had a chance to even attempt to curb her beak.

“Where in Duckburg?” he asked, eying her with increased interest.

“McDuck Manor.”

She cursed inwardly. She had no control over her body anymore. Negaduck took what he wanted and whatever was left over, she kept. That was precious little.

Negaduck mused about this. “That’s gonna be a hard nut to crack. That man’s security is legendary.”

He turned to face her completely. “You don’t know where Darkwing’s lair is, do you?”

She fought the confession tooth and nail. She fought so hard she gave herself a headache and doubled over, the pain unyielding. Lights flashed before her eyes. This last would be the ultimate betrayal of him. It’d lead to his destruction--Negaduck would be able to kill him at his leisure, especially when Darkwing was vulnerable.

“She doesn’t want to tell you,” Megavolt commented. “You’re hurting her.”

Negaduck frowned, thoughtful. “The compulsion should’ve forced it out of her. Is she that attached to Darkwing?”

“We could wait for him to come to us,” Bushroot suggested. “It wouldn’t be much fun to defeat him when he’s down and out.”

Negaduck weighed this and Morgana relaxed slightly. She wasn’t sure why Bushroot and Megavolt were arguing in her favor and she wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

“You’re right,” Negaduck decided. “It wouldn’t be much fun if he didn’t put up a fight.”

Morgana gasped, tears pricking her eyes, and went limp. Only his arms about her waist kept her from collapsing to the floor. 

“It’s possible that the compulsion may not work if it’s something that’s antithetical to her being,” Bushroot commented.

“She loves him that much,” Negaduck sneered. “I’ll figure out a way around that.”

He dumped her on the floor and Morgana gasped, willing strength back into her limbs. She’d tried so hard to protect her Dark. This was the best she could do. At least she’d succeeded in keeping the information to herself, no matter that the trauma from doing so was battering at her even now. She was fighting sobs, the pain was so intense.

Negaduck watched her with a cool air. “Sorry.”

He wasn’t sincere in the slightest and she would’ve given him a rude gesture if she could have.

“What do we do now?” Liquidator asked.

“We wait until nightfall,” Negaduck decided. “That should give him plenty of time to recover and be his usual pathetic self before we crush him. Then we move on Duckburg. Gizmoduck and Gosalyn should be enough for us. Their criminals won’t dare stand in our way, not with Morgana’s help.”

He assumed she wanted to assist him. Then again, she assumed she had a choice in the matter. Morgana blinked away tears and rubbed her eyes. Negaduck tilted her head to look up at him.

“I don’t hold it against you,” he said softly. She wondered if, in whatever small capacity he had for love, if he did care for her in a twisted way. “You can’t help it. You’ll change your mind, of course, once you’ve seen how feeble and wretched he is.”

 _Don’t count on it._

When the meeting was over, Megavolt helped her to her feet. 

“Why did you help me?” she whispered once Negaduck was out of earshot.

“We all hate Darkwing Duck,” he said with a shrug. “But there’s a difference between fair and unfair. And going after Gosalyn and hitting him when he’s down isn’t how we operate.”

“We want him to be at his very best when we trounce him,” Bushroot added. Gratitude rushed through her and she could hug them.

“Thank you,” she said.

“We’re not doing it for him,” Quackerjack scoffed. “We’re doing it for us. Don’t get the wrong idea. We want to see him gone too.”

“But we get love too,” Megavolt added quickly and she didn’t miss the sidelong look he exchanged with Quackerjack. “So...might as well give him a fighting chance.”

They shrugged as one and trooped out, leaving her alone with Negaduck’s model of the city on the conference table in front of her. She gazed at the bridge and sighed. She’d granted Dark a brief delay, but that was the best she could do, and she’d betrayed Gosalyn. Would Darkwing ever forgive her for this? Would she ever forgive herself?

* * *

Negaduck had to assess McDuck Manor by the light of day. The security system, the DT-87, was supposed to be the best in the business. Of course, if he took it out with a few bazookas, that might take care of any further problems. Darkwing wouldn’t be completely destroyed unless he took away Gosalyn too. Negaduck had a hard time understanding that. To him, NegaGosalyn was an annoyance and someone to ignore, not to care for and cherish like a daughter. She was a liability and therefore, someone he kept out of the thick of things. 

He stared up at the iron gates and the speaker beside him crackled to life. He hissed. As this had been a scoping out mission, he hadn’t brought weaponry with him. He didn’t see a security camera, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t one. It was entirely possible that Scrooge had secreted it away. He glanced to the side, where Morgana was waiting impatiently, arms folded across her chest. Even knowing she was infuriated with him and would probably try to kill him once the compulsion ran its course, she was still breathtakingly beautiful. 

“Morgana?” 

It sounded like Gosalyn and he looked into the camera set above the speaker box. If the camera was in black and white, he might be able to fool Gosalyn into opening the door for him. Plus, he was willing to bet that Darkwing hadn’t told her about Morgana’s new allegiances.

“Hey, Gosalyn,” Negaduck said smoothly, pitching his voice to sound like his hated nemesis. “We just came to check up on you and make sure Negaduck hasn’t shown up.”

“Why would he?” 

Beside her, he saw another duckling with a bow in her hair. The second girl eyed him suspiciously and murmured something too low for Negaduck to catch. That second girl could be a problem, especially if she invoked Gosalyn’s normally paranoid nature.

“He--I mean--I didn’t tell you? Negaduck’s on the loose in St. Canard and has plans to take over Duckburg too,” he said, praying she didn’t notice the slip-up.

“No, he didn’t mention that.”

Her tone was flat and she eyed the camera. She reached for a button and the gate slid inward. Negaduck smirked, careful not to show his sharpened teeth and ruin the effect. He gestured for Morgana to follow her, which she did. After that last little display, he wanted to keep her close. She’d defied him once, but it wouldn’t last. The compulsion wouldn’t allow it.

Negaduck halted, realizing after the gates opened that the ruse would be discovered as soon as she saw him in the flesh. He might resemble Darkwing in black and white, but the bright yellow hat and suit would be a dead giveaway. He’d have to move fast, then.

Gosalyn opened the door and Negaduck beamed at her. He inclined his head toward Morgana, who raised her fingers and ensorcelled Gosalyn. The second girl was right behind Gosalyn and tackled Morgana to the ground. Gosalyn’s eyes were wide as she struggled within the magical confinement.

“Webby, no! She’s on our side!”

“If she’s on your side, then why is she working for Negaduck?” Webby countered.

Good question. The brat was observant. That wouldn’t do.

Negaduck snapped his fingers and Morgana struggled to her feet. Webby had managed to pin her, which was both impressive and worrisome. It was impressive that a child of that size could take down an adult and worrisome because he didn’t need his plans unraveled by a child. Gosalyn fell to the ground, half in and half out of the front door, and Negaduck grimaced. The longer this went on, the greater the chance someone would notice and intercede. He needed to end this now.

He grabbed Gosalyn, sensing that Webby wouldn’t attack him if he had her. Webby halted as he pressed Gosalyn against him and brought out a gun. 

“Stay. We have what we want,” Negaduck snapped. “Don’t do anything stupid.”

Webby didn’t look cowed. Instead, she looked like she was considering her options. Negaduck’s temper flared. How dare she assume she had any. How dare she look at him like that. He shifted the gun from Gosalyn’s temple to raise it to Webby’s and Morgana’s control over Gosalyn loosened. Gosalyn elbowed him in the stomach and he doubled over, firing the gun by reflex. The sound echoed in his ears and left them ringing.

When the smoke cleared, he cast about to see whether he’d hit anyone. Gosalyn appeared unharmed, as did Webby. Thankfully, Morgana hadn’t been hit either. The shot must’ve gone wide. That was a relief, in that he didn’t have further complications.

Negaduck retrieved his gun and Morgana rose to her feet. Her hands glowed and she froze both girls in place. 

“We can dump ‘em in the Negaverse,” Negaduck suggested. “By the time he realizes they’re there, it’ll be too late.”

“What did you do to my dad?” Gosalyn demanded. “Why is Morgana working for you now?”

Could he turn Gosalyn the way he’d turned Morgana? Or would he be juggling too many balls? Frowning, he surveyed the girls. Decisions, decisions.

Darkwing would know if Gosalyn had been turned evil. Why he hadn’t figured it out with Morgana yet, he didn’t know, but the chances of Gosalyn betraying him were slim. Gosalyn was nothing if not loyal. No, he couldn’t turn her. She’d never side with him--her hatred was too strong and her love for Darkwing likewise too powerful. 

He glanced over at Morgana. Was her passion for Darkwing too strong too? Would that mean that she might be able to break the compulsion before its time was up? 

Well, they couldn’t stay here. They’d be attracting attention sooner or later. The housekeeper was there.

“This isn’t what it looks like,” Negaduck said. Mrs. Beakley snorted and Morgana blinked. She was studying the housekeeper carefully, far more scrutiny than she merited.

“Granny!” Webby cried out.

“That’s not--” Morgana started and then her beak sealed shut. Mrs. Beakley edged them out of the house and closed the door on all four of them. That was odd behavior if Negaduck wanted to follow up on it. He didn’t. There was enough to worry about logistics-wise.

“Take ‘em with us,” he decided. “And while we’re en route, you can tell me all you know about Darkwing’s lair.”

“Something’s going on with Granny,” Webby muttered as Negaduck shoved her into his version of the Ratcatcher’s side compartment along with Gosalyn. 

“Same with Morgana,” Gosalyn muttered back.

“Can’t you shut them up?” he demanded of Morgana, who obliged him immediately. She looked away.

“What was going on with the housekeeper, anyway?” he asked as he revved the engine and Morgana slid behind him on the bike.

“I...I can’t say.”

Negaduck revved the engine again. He didn’t believe that for a second, but he was willing to let it lie for now. They needed to get out of here before Gizmoduck showed or Darkwing went to check on his daughter.

 


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure how I feel about Darkwing Duck in light of accusations against Jim Cummings. I grew up with Darkwing Duck (and Bonkers) and it's hard to reconcile my childhood with the allegations. 
> 
> We'll see if I can get myself back together before next Saturday. Otherwise, this fic is on hiatus. -_-

Webby and Gosalyn were missing and Lena felt guilty. It wasn’t her fault; Scrooge had obtained the security footage and they realized it was Negaduck and Morgana. However, it was suspicious that Mrs. Beakley had let them go without a fight. Lena hoped that maybe Scrooge would figure it out and interrogate the “housekeeper”, a.k.a. Magica in disguise. For herself, Lena would keep a low profile. She hadn’t betrayed Magica’s precious secret, but Magica wouldn’t see it that way. She’d want to punish the girl for her failure.  
  
She didn’t know where the boys were and she wasn’t sure she cared. Huey had helped release her because of Webby, but he hadn’t wanted to. She felt no kinship with the boys. Then again, maybe she was too newly released for that. Perhaps, in time, she’d feel connected to them over Webby. Time, she sensed, was not something they had in spades.  
  
Scrooge was reviewing the footage from last night too and Lena was standing behind him. She winced as she saw Mrs. Beakley/Magica grab her by the throat; the security camera had caught both picture and dialogue and he could hear Magica threatening her. Lena’s gaze dropped to the floor. She was ashamed to be so frightened of Magica.  
  
“Ye should’ve come to me, lassie,” he scolded.  
  
“No offense,” she said, raising her head. “But you locked me in a time field for fifteen years. You freaked out when Webby brought me to you. You’re not the first person I’d go running to for help.”  
  
“I put you in that stasis field for yer own good!” he retorted.  
  
“Really?” She was unable to keep the bitterness from her voice. “So letting Magica berate me and terrorize me for fifteen years was for my own good too? Thanks, Scroogie.”  
  
Scrooge grimaced. “I may have made a mistake in that. I didn’t know she was attacking you.”  
  
“You could’ve asked. You could’ve let me out at some point and talked to me instead of keeping me prisoner. Or did you think I was just a magical construct without feelings? That you hadn’t shoved me into hell by keeping me stuck to Magica for fifteen years?”  
  
He spun about in his chair. “You were conscious for that entire time? I thought it would’ve slowed down your reactions…”  
  
“I was conscious and aware. The. Entire. Time. Time passed slower for me than it did for you, but that didn’t mean Magica couldn’t prey on me. And without anything else to do, I was her only target.”  
  
“I’m sorry, lass. I truly am.”  
  
“Yeah, well, whatever. It’s done. We need to get Webby and Gosalyn back and figure out how to stop Magica.”  
  
Scrooge was still studying her and she hated it. How dare he feel sorry fifteen years later. How dare he not have interfered earlier, when she was desperate for help? How dare he act like she was a sentient being with emotions now when he hadn’t for so long? What right did he have to feel remorse when she’d been trapped in hell? A hell of his design, no less. His and Gyro’s.  
  
“I know it seems like too little, too late, but I’ll find some way to make it up to you. I won’t shove you back into that stasis field again, Lena. We’ll defeat Magica and you’ll have your freedom.”  
  
Her freedom. It was a foreign concept and it tightened her throat. Magica had sworn up and down that once they were separated, she’d never speak to Lena again because Lena had “failed” her. But that was different from being fully disconnected from each other. Even without the amulet, she had a vague sense of Magica about the manor, probably because Magica wasn’t bothering to conceal herself. Why should she? What did it matter if Lena knew where she was? Lena was too weak to stop her.  
  
“I promise,” he added.  
  
“You realize as soon as she finds out you’re onto her, she’ll try to inhabit another body? Maybe yours?” Lena said, changing the subject. Scrooge’s promise made her uncomfortable. She doubted he’d keep it. In her limited experience, the only people who kept their promises were children like her. Or whatever she was. She might have the body of a teenager, but she wasn’t real. Not like the others.  
  
“Aye, the thought had occurred to me.”  
  
He stood up and she backed away, irrational fear tightening her chest. He was going to throw her back in stasis. He was going to imprison her again and there was nothing she could do about it. Before, he’d caught her by surprise. She’d never let that happen again. She’d die before she ended up in stasis again. (It sounded extreme, but she was surprised to find she meant it).  
  
“I can handle her.”  
  
“You say that now,” she scoffed. “You have no idea what it’s like to share a mind with her.”  
  
“Lena,” he said quietly. “I am sorry. Very sorry. I shouldnae have done that. I should have figured out another way that didn’t trap you.”  
  
“As I said,” she retorted, finding herself on the defensive, “It’s over now. No point in crying over spilled milk and all that. I’ll come with you to confront Magica if you want, but I’m telling you--she’s got tricks you haven’t seen before.”  
  
“I know what she’s capable of, lassie. We’ve been enemies for a long time, Clan McDuck and Clan de Spell.”  
  
Lena scoffed again. He might claim he knew how to handle her, but she knew better. He was underestimating just how much Magica loathed him after being trapped with Lena. He was also underestimating how cruel she could be. Lena knew Magica all too well. It was an experience she’d give anything to forget, no matter that it comprised her formative years. She shuddered, rubbing her arms. No wonder she was so concerned about Webby and Gosalyn. They’d offered her the first glimpse she’d had of a world beyond sheer misery.  
  
“I’ll protect you from her.”  
  
Yeah, right. Sure he would. Lena was disinclined to believe anything Scrooge McDuck said. While she didn’t hate him, not as Magica did, she didn’t trust him, either. She wished she knew where Negaduck and Morgana had taken the girls. She also wished she had her amulet, even if it was technically Magica’s staff. More than anything, she wished she didn’t feel like a useless, washed up kid.  
  
They found Mrs. Beakley in the library and pretending to dust books, all the while scanning the shelves. Scrooge halted, Lena behind him, and her heart thudded in her chest. It felt like every feather in her body stood on end. She wanted to run away but stood her ground. Her teeth chattered.  
  
“Ye won’t find any books about magic in there,” Scrooge said and Mrs. Beakley whirled, feather duster in one hand. She was standing on a ladder and ‘dusting’ near the windows. To Lena’s informed eye, it looked like Magica’s golden gaze had overtaken Mrs. Beakley, which Lena found worrying. Mrs. Beakley probably didn’t have much, if any experience, with magical possession. That Magica was winning so quickly was both unsurprising and troubling. She didn’t know what Magica would do to her host once she was finished with her, but she doubted it’d be anything pleasant.  
  
“Why would you think I’m looking for that?” Mrs. Beakley/Magica replied and descended the ladder.  
  
Scrooge closed and locked the door behind Lena. “I’m onto you, Magica de Spell.”  
  
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Mrs. Beakley/Magica said primly.  
  
“We have security cameras for a reason, Magica,” he said quietly. “You forgot to erase them. I found the footage after you failed to keep Negaduck and Morgana from kidnapping the girls.”  
  
“You don’t have any proof.”  
  
Scrooge glanced at Lena and Mrs. Beakley/Magica sneered.  
  
“The word of a child? You’d trust her? She’s not even a child. She’s a monster. A magical thing. A construct with irrelevant thoughts and feelings.”  
  
Lena flinched and Scrooge glanced from Magica to Lena and back.  
  
“I see what you meant, lassie,” Scrooge said quietly. To Magica, he said, “And how would you know that? You’ve barely spent any time with Lena at all unless you count threatening her. I saw that too. Shame on you, Magica. She’s just a wee bairn. She’s never done anything to you.”  
  
Mrs. Beakley/Magica shed her innocent look and stormed up to Scrooge. Her eyes flashed with rage and she trembled.  
  
“She’s failed me,” Magica snapped. “She allowed herself to get caught by you and then imprisoned for fifteen years. If I could have killed her and gotten control that way, I would have. The only thing I have to be grateful for is that she looks like a teenager. If she hadn’t, those idiots would never have freed us.”  
  
Lena trembled too, not certain if she was angry or miserable. She had known Magica thought so little of her, but she hadn’t thought she’d say it so baldly to Scrooge. It stung, as it always did.  
  
“Then it’s a good thing she was released because she’s nothing like you, de Spell. She’s barely been out for a day and I know she’s got a better heart than you’ll ever have.”  
  
“Oh, spare me the melodramatics,” Magica scoffed. “I have a new host and I have no desire to leave her. What are you going to do, Scroogie? Chase me out? You can’t.”  
  
“What are you doing to Beakley in there?” he demanded.  
  
Magica shrugged. “Whatever’s necessary. If she dies, it’s her own fault. Besides, you’re the reason I don’t have a body anymore. Or can’t reach it. Maybe if you let me have my body back, we wouldn’t have this problem.”  
  
Scrooge glanced to Lena and Magica huffed.  
  
“Don’t look at her. She has no idea about anything. She’s useless.”  
  
“Enough,” he snapped. “Leave her out of this.”  
  
“You barely know her and you already have a soft spot for her,” Magica scoffed. “You’re so predictable. Give me the dime, Scroogie, and I promise I won’t keep tormenting Beakley. I’ll leave you and your precious family alone once I have what I want.”  
  
“You’re not getting my number one dime!” he snapped.  
  
Magica sighed. “I was afraid you’d say that.”  
  
And Mrs. Beakley/Magica threw herself at Scrooge.  
  


* * *

  
  
Morgana was in charge of watching Webby and Gosalyn while Negaduck set out on the next part of his plan. After he’d left, she’d allowed them to speak, although Gosalyn was ornery and Webby wasn’t far behind her. Gosalyn might’ve treated her with affection or at least tolerance before. There was none of that evinced now.  
  
“So, you turned traitor on my father, is that right?” Gosalyn snapped. “Probably thought you could trade up, huh? I’ve got your number, pal.”  
  
“That’s not it at all,” Morgana protested. They were currently sequestered in the Negaverse’s version of Drake Mallard’s house, which was ill-kempt and looked like a tornado had struck it. It smelled of rotten and dying things and Morgana shuddered. She wanted to go home. More than anything, she wanted to make this up to Dark and help him defeat Negaduck together. That wasn’t going to happen, not under her geas.  
  
“Really? Because it looks like it from where I’m standing,” Gosalyn snapped. “What’s the matter? My dad’s not good enough for you? Do you think you can do better? I’ve got news for you. My dad is the best. You could come crawling back on your hands and knees and he wouldn’t take you back, because you don’t deserve him.”  
  
Webby sat beside her sister and stroked her hair in an attempt to calm her down. It didn’t work. Although Webby didn’t speak, she shot daggers at Morgana with her eyes.  
  
“I should’ve known from the start that you were a bad egg,” Gosalyn continued, warming to her topic. “You were all lovey-dovey with him. You were hiding something. What did Negaduck promise you, huh? A share in the loot? Or is it worse than that? Are you plotting with Negaduck to kill my dad?”  
  
Gosalyn snarled, leaping up and grabbing Morgana by the collar. “Because I promise you, I won’t let anything happen to Darkwing without a fight. You’ll have to kill me to get to him.”  
  
“I wish I could explain,” Morgana said. Gosalyn was beginning to give her a headache and she almost regretted restoring their powers of speech. Almost, but not quite. She didn’t need to make them feel more of a prisoner than they already were.  
  
“Explain what? How your villainous ways ensnared my father? How you seduced him into falling for Negaduck’s plans? I bet you sucker-punched him in the heart, too. You foul, evil witch,” Gosalyn snapped.  
  
Morgana trembled and slammed her palms down on the table. “That’s enough! That’s not what’s going on! I can’t tell you what’s going on because--because…”  
  
Her throat constricted and she growled, frustrated. Gosalyn snorted.  
  
“A likely story,” she said.  
  
“Gos, maybe she really can’t,” Webby said, studying Morgana closely. Unlike her sister, she wasn’t letting her emotions get the better of her. Her forehead crinkled and she frowned. Morgana hoped she figured it out, though she didn’t know she possibly could. If Gosalyn barely knew her, Webby certainly didn’t.  
  
“What can you tell me about Darkwing Duck?” Webby asked.  
  
“That he’s a wimp? That he’s a weakling?” Gosalyn supplied. “Is that what you’re thinking? I’ll have you know that my dad is the strongest, bravest man I know.”  
  
“Gosalyn,” Webby said, sounding exasperated. “Please.”  
  
“I don’t feel that way about Dark at all,” Morgana said. She banged the table again and sighed, as frustrated as Webby. “If I could tell you what was happening, I would. Negaduck--”  
  
Her throat closed again.  
  
“Did Negaduck do something to you?” Webby asked, cocking her head at her.  
  
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Gosalyn scoffed. “She was a villain before Dad met her and she’s returning to her old, evil ways. How could he possibly have done something to her? She’s the sorceress, not him.”  
  
Morgana didn’t know how much the compulsion would let her say. She attempted to nod at Webby’s question and her head arrested halfway through. A half-nod was the best she could do. Really? How was she ever going to get help?  
  
“Was it magic?” Webby asked, ignoring her sister.  
  
Again, she managed a half-nod. Then her throat tightened painfully and she groaned, clutching it. Tears sprang to her eyes and Webby frowned, thoughtful.  
  
“How could he have practiced magic? Only someone with magical ability could’ve done that,” Gosalyn scoffed.  
  
“Not necessarily,” Webby said. “I can do magic.”  
  
This prompted a strange look from the other two females and Morgana’s throat loosened enough to breathe and possibly speak. She massaged it and gazed at Webby just as thoughtfully as Webby was scrutinizing her. Here might be the key to her salvation. If she could figure out how to enlist Webby’s help without being able to describe what had happened, perhaps Webby could reverse it. Or knew someone that could.  
  
“You’re just a child,” Morgana protested.  
  
“I never met my parents,” Webby replied. “Who knows who or what they were?”  
  
She shrugged and Morgana had the sudden urge to throw her arms about the child and hug her. Of course, the compulsion wouldn’t let her do that either. Instead, she rested back in her chair and her heart hammered. She could almost taste her heartbeat, it was that intense.  
  
“Wait a minute,” Gosalyn said. “You have no proof that she’s not doing this of her own volition. You can’t say that she’s under a compulsion. You don’t know. Maybe she really has it in for my father.”  
  
Morgana managed a slight shake of her head and groaned. The corresponding pain waves that went through her made her grit her teeth.  
  
“Think about it,” Webby implored. “What’s more likely? That Morgana had a sudden and complete change of heart, a 180 spin when she already had feelings for your dad and decided to ignore them? Or that she’s under an enchantment?”  
  
“She could’ve been luring my dad into a false sense of security before pouncing,” Gosalyn said, seeming determined to malign Morgana. Morgana understood. She wouldn’t trust herself either right now.  
  
“She’s already betrayed him.”  
  
“Right, but you don’t know if she had a choice in the matter,” Webby said.  
  
“You’re so quick to believe the best in people,” Gosalyn scoffed. “Can’t you admit that maybe some people are evil and can’t change?”  
  
“Can’t you admit that if she loves your dad that much, she’s not doing this because she wants to?” she retorted.  
  
“Do you love my dad?” Gosalyn said to Morgana, implacable.  
  
Morgana couldn’t say yes. She managed a hiss and a slight nod before it was transformed into a headshake. Groaning, she buried her face in her hands and sighed. This was driving her insane. The dichotomy would split her in half.  
  
“I think that’s a yes, Gos.”  
  
Morgana was trembling and Webby put a hand on her shoulder. She knew it was Webby without looking because she could still feel Gosalyn’s hostility radiating in waves from the redhead.  
  
“I believe you,” Webby said softly.  
  
“You believe her over me?!” Gosalyn objected, outraged.  
  
“You’re not thinking straight. You’re defensive over Darkwing because you love him and you don’t want to see him hurt.”  
  
“Of course I don’t,” Gosalyn shot back. “Would you want to see your grandmother hurt? Or the triplets?”  
  
“Of course not. Something strange is going on with Granny anyway…” Webby said, temporarily distracted by that thought.  
  
“Magica,” Morgana said.  
  
“You said you didn’t know!” Gosalyn exclaimed.  
  
“I lied,” Morgana said. “It’s hard, but I can.”  
  
“Negaduck is compelling you to do things?” Webby asked.  
  
Morgana made a slight noise. It was easier to disobey him when he wasn’t present, but it wasn’t completely facile. She shuddered again and hugged herself.  
  
“Wait, Magica possessed my granny?” Webby said.  
  
“Yes,” Morgana managed.  
  
Gosalyn cursed. Webby didn’t, but her expression was a combination of thoughtful and dismayed. It was odd to see such a serious expression on one so young.  
  
“We have to go save her!” Webby said.  
  
“I can’t let you leave,” Morgana sighed. “Negaduck ordered me to keep you here.”  
  
“Of course he did,” Gosalyn grumbled. “What if we went anyway?”  
  
“I’d have to stop you,” Morgana replied and shrugged. “It’s nothing personal, Gosalyn.”  
  
“It sure seems that way to me,” Gosalyn grumbled.  
  
To Morgana, she could see Gosalyn’s point. Grimacing, she rubbed her temples. It didn’t seem like they were going to reach a consensus here. Moreover, it might be impossible to do so.  
  
“Then…” Gosalyn said and grinned wickedly. “We’ll have to improvise.”  
  
Morgana had a sinking suspicion she wasn’t going to like where this was going.


	8. Chapter 8

Morgana eyed the two children warily. They seemed to have a silent communication, which meant she'd have her hands full trying to apprehend them. If only Negaduck hadn't tied her hands...or just not been a jerk in general. While Morgana pondered this and the strange twists and turns that her life had taken in the last few days, Webby and Gosalyn moved, splitting their attack so that Morgana could apprehend one but not the other. Gosalyn aimed for her midriff and Morgana cast a spell that swept the red-headed girl off her feet. It was only a diversion.

Webby knocked Morgana into a wall and, while the sorceress worked on regaining her focus, she grabbed her hands, removed her bow from her hair, and bound Morgana's hands behind her back. If Morgana had perhaps put up a little less fight than she needed to, well, no one but she would know about it. Let the girls think they had had an easy victory. Morgana didn't want to fight them. She especially didn't want to hurt them.

Without her hands, she couldn't cast spells, though she was surprised Webby had figured that out. She wriggled her wrists, but Webby had bound her tightly. She supposed they would have learned how to tie knots to prevent people from escaping in the orphanage, as it was sponsored by SHUSH. Sighing, Morgana gazed at Webby and Gosalyn, the latter of whom was picking herself up off the floor.

"Do you even know how to get out of here?" Morgana asked.

Webby and Gosalyn exchanged glances and Morgana sighed. That made three of them. She hadn't been conscious when Negaduck had dragged her here the first time. Of course, Dark had Eek and Squeak, so she couldn't send them out to hunt. They wouldn't have let her be captured, anyway. Morgana's throat tightened. She missed her familiars.

"We'll figure it out," Gosalyn huffed.

"Gos, we don't know how far this world extends. For all we know, the entire universe is contained here, except everyone's evil. We could wander out of the Negaverse version of St. Canard and into the Negaverse version of Duckburg and still not find it. We need better information," Webby pointed out.

"We need to call my dad," Gosalyn rejoined. "He has to know what's going on."

"Don't look at me," Morgana said. "I don't have a phone. Even if I did, it wouldn't work with all my magic. Magic makes technology go haywire."

"There has to be a phone here that'll dial out," Gosalyn mused.

"Are you sure about that?" Webby responded. "Because it doesn't seem like that'd be a good thing to do."

"NegaGosalyn," Morgana said and they turned to look at her. "She probably knows how to get a hold of Darkwing Duck or at least how to get out of here."

Gosalyn pulled a face, probably not looking forward to meeting her counterpart. Webby shook her head, not to refute Morgana, but to remind Gosalyn what the stakes were. She took her sister by the shoulders and shook her.

"Negaduck has Morgana, he has us, and Darkwing's in a corner," Webby said. "Granny's been compromised and we have no one else. We have to get a message to Darkwing Duck."

"And then what? Leave him to fix this?" Gosalyn said, scowling.

"He doesn't have to do it alone," Webby replied and Gosalyn brightened.

"All right, let's go find my Negaverse counterpart. Hopefully, she won't be as annoying as I think she will be."

And, like that, they left Morgana alone with her thoughts. Oddly, she found she didn't mind. There were worse places to be and at least she was in a relatively secure location. Besides, she had faith in Gosalyn and Webby. They seemed to know what they were doing. Or, at least, she hoped they did.

* * *

"Darkwing Duck's in trouble?" NegaGosalyn asked. As soon as Gosalyn had set eyes on her, she'd hated her. The frilly pink dress, the red curls, and the whole she-bang stung of Shirley Temple and an entirely too cutesy look that was so not her. Webby had to hold her back before she did or said something unhelpful, such as lashing out at the other girl. Webby knew that Gosalyn would hate her upon sight and, to be honest, it gave Webby a moment's pause too. That Gosalyn was so not the real Gosalyn. She was just too sugary sweet and cheerful. It rubbed Webby strangely.

Webby pitied NegaGosalyn. In a world where everyone was evil, she'd been the odd duck out. If they had time, perhaps they could rescue her too. Of course, Gosalyn would hate having her around, but perhaps she could be made to see the necessity. Leaving NegaGosalyn in Negaduck's clutches was a bad idea, even if he seemed to be more of a negligent parent than an abusive one. No, Negaduck only picked on people his own size. While Webby couldn't say that Negaduck liked kids, per se, he didn't aim to attack them rather than adults.

"That's what I said, isn't it?" Gosalyn huffed. "How can you stand looking so frilly, pink, and perfect? It's disgusting."

NegaGosalyn stared at her. "You're not wearing pants or a skirt."

"So?" Gosalyn countered. "I don't have to. I'm a duck. Plenty of ducks walk around without pants."

"Plenty of  _male_  ducks," NegaGosalyn countered. "It's not proper or becoming for a young lady."

"If you don't like it, then you don't have to look," Gosalyn countered, gruff. She folded her arms across her chest and glowered at NegaGosalyn. "Are you going to help us or not?"

"I'll help," NegaGosalyn said. "I wish Darkwing Duck were my father instead of my being Negaduck's ward."

Gosalyn's expression shifted, going from irritation to guilt. She might not appreciate NegaGosalyn's primness, but she felt bad for the girl all the same. Webby nudged Gosalyn. NegaGos got a raw deal. When this was over, assuming they could get back...or should they just bring her with them now? They might not be able to get back and they might not want to. Once Negaduck was defeated, he'd be here, most likely, licking his wounds. A cornered, wounded animal was a dangerous one. No, they had better bring NegaGos along.

"Do you know how to get a message to Darkwing?" Webby pressed. "Time's of the essence."

"I know how to get out of here," NegaGosalyn said. "Your dad's on the Bridge, right? Negaduck made multiple portals this time. We should be able to exit on the Bridge and find Darkwing to tell him. We'll come back for Morgana. The spell should be broken by then."

Gosalyn nodded, dropping her gaze. Webby nudged her and Gosalyn's head shot up to give her a dirty look. Webby smirked.

"Negaduck won't want Morgana around once the spell's broken, anyway," NegaGosalyn said. "He doesn't like situations he can't control."

Webby liked to think that Morgana's wrath would be legendary for Negaduck subjecting Morgana to this. She also liked to imagine that once Morgana escaped the Negaverse, she'd be rushing back to Darkwing's arms. It was romantic, provided Darkwing forgave her. Love conquered all, didn't it? They'd be fine.

NegaGos led them to the bridge and the trip was mostly silent. Each girl was lost in her own thoughts and Webby wondered how Mrs. Beakley was faring. She had no idea what had transpired in her absence. She also felt oddly lopsided without her pink bow. Morgana might be able to free herself if she found something sharp to rub against her binding. Should they have left someone here to ensure she didn't escape?

"She won't come after us, will she?" Gosalyn asked, sensing Webby's train of thought. They'd been together for so long that sometimes it felt like they were psychic.

"I don't know," Webby admitted and the thought gave her the chills. They'd given Morgana the slip, but that could change. They didn't stand a chance against a sorceress in her element. They'd have to break her power source and Webby had no idea what that was. It wasn't like sorceresses advertised their weaknesses.

They exited into the real world and Webby felt the difference immediately. For one thing, the air was cleaner and didn't hurt to breathe. For another, traffic was louder and impressions brighter. It was night in St. Canard and car headlights threatened to blind them. For whatever reason, there wasn't much traffic between the Negaverse's St. Canard and Duckburg. Possibly it didn't extend that far. Webby hadn't looked.

They ascended into the lair, where they found Darkwing Duck staring at a map of the city. He hadn't heard their approach. His eyes were redlined and he sniffled, hunched in a miserable heap on a chair while he half-heartedly poked a pencil about the map. He sighed, clearly not in the mood to fight crime or do much of anything. Webby's heart went out to him. Gosalyn approached, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Gosalyn?" Darkwing exclaimed, whirling in his seat. "What are you doing here? You were supposed to be safe in McDuck Manor in Duckburg!"

"Yeah, I was  _real_  safe," Gosalyn said sarcastically. "Right up until Negaduck and Morgana kidnapped me and Webby and brought us to the Negaverse."

At her words, Darkwing looked up to spy NegaGosalyn and Webby. NegaGosalyn rushed at Darkwing and hugged him. He hugged her back, though he looked surprised. His gaze roved over the three girls.

"And you're all here because…?"

"Because we know you need us," Gosalyn said.

"And because we need you to know that Morgana is under an enchantment that Negaduck cast," NegaGosalyn said. "She's not doing any of this of her own volition."

"I...I knew that. I totally knew that," Darkwing said.

"You had no friggin' clue, did you?" Gosalyn asked flatly. "You're so oblivious."

"How long has she been under Negaduck's sway?" he asked them.

"I'd guess since she broke up with you," Gosalyn answered. "She didn't want to hurt us. Negaduck compelled her."

"You're hurt?!" Darkwing exclaimed, springing to his feet.

"Dad, we're fine. Chill," Gosalyn said. "Relax. Webby tied her up with her bow."

"That's not gonna hold her for very long," Darkwing pointed out. "In fact, if Negaduck is controlling her and he found out that she's been hoodwinked by three kids, he's not gonna be very happy at all. And an angry Negaduck is nothing to trifle with."

He frowned. "Now, if I were an infuriated megalomaniac who was determined to prove himself and been half thwarted, where would I go?"

"You have half of that already," Gosalyn muttered and Darkwing glared at her.

"Not helping, Gos," he reminded her.

A bright pink light shot over the city, followed by a screech, and then a crash. All four flinched and Darkwing grabbed his hat and cape.

"What was that?" Gosalyn asked.

"Nothing you need to worry about," he said. "If Negaduck knows about McDuck Manor, it's not safe anymore. That means you should all stay here. Including you, Gosalyn."

"But I can help!" Gosalyn protested.

"You'll just get in the way," Darkwing countered. "And who's the adult here?"

"You are," Gosalyn said, sounding resigned.

"Wait, what about my granny?" Webby burst out.

"What does Mrs. Beakley have to do with this?" Darkwing asked, baffled. Another crash sounded and he grimaced. "Never mind. Tell me later. For now...let's get dangerous."

He kissed Gosalyn on the head and Gosalyn rolled her eyes.

"Be good...or whatever passes for that with you. And stay here. All three of you. You can use my phone to call McDuck Manor, but I don't want any of you leaving, not until I know it's safe. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Dad," Gosalyn muttered at the same time that NegaGosalyn and Webby replied, "Yes, Darkwing."

"You three are totally not going to listen to me, are you?" Darkwing said.

Gosalyn smiled innocently and Darkwing sighed. Another crash, this time louder and closer, sounded and Darkwing sprang into action. There wasn't time to worry about what the kids would or wouldn't do. If Darkwing didn't avert this upcoming disaster, there might not be a tower hideout to worry about. He nodded to them and then took off. Webby watched him go.

"Does Morgana know about the tower?" Webby asked Gosalyn.

"Yes," she said and then cursed.

"You shouldn't speak like that!" NegaGosalyn said and then, to Webby's shock, began listing all the curse words that better suited the situation.

"...wait, what?" Webby said, shocked. Gosalyn looked like she'd been struck in the face with a baseball bat.

"Did you really think that I'd never heard cursing when I live in the Negaverse?" NegaGosalyn said innocently. She smiled brightly and then her smile faded. "If Morgana's coming here, then we need to be prepared. Darkwing keeps weapons in here too, doesn't he?"

"Yeah, he does," Gosalyn said, still goggling at her counterpart. She looked faintly impressed.

"Then we'd better gather them up," NegaGosalyn replied. "It looks like we're due for a fight. And this time, for real."

* * *

Scrooge rolled to the side and narrowly avoided Magica. The good news, if you could call it that, was that Magica didn't know how to work Mrs. Beakley's body. Lena leapt onto Mrs. Beakley's back and yanked the amulet off her neck. Magica snarled, rounding on her niece. As she did, Scrooge searched for something to knock her out with. He had a large bust of himself that would work nicely.

"You traitorous brat," Magica spat at Lena.

"Takes one to know one," Lena said with a shrug. Magica/Mrs. Beakley charged at her and she sidestepped her with ease.

Scrooge mentally apologized for what he was about to do. He hefted the bust and threw it at Mrs. Beakley's head. It would make an awesome collision and then…

He missed. Instead of striking her, it hit the sofa and Magica whirled, glowering at him. Scrooge smiled sheepishly. That would've been so impressive.

"Do you mind?" she spat.

"Actually, yes, I do. You were supposed to be hit by that," Scrooge said and Lena facepalmed.

"Do you really expect me to stand still and wait while you throw things at me?" she snapped.

"Actually, yes. That'd make this fight a great deal easier."

Magica snarled, charging him, and again, he showed how adroit he was by moving out of the way. Lena hefted the amulet and it glowed in her palms. Mrs. Beakley turned and her eyes narrowed at Lena.

"Give me back the amulet," she spat.

"Nope. Not happening. Not sharing a body with you ever again. I'd rather be dead."

"That can be arranged," Magica snapped. She drew herself up to her full height and then dove. Scrooge threw up his lucky dime and instead of crashing into him and possessing him, which was doubtlessly what she'd hoped by that wild charge, she threw her essence into the dime. Magica's scream of outrage was cut mercifully short.

"That won't hold her for long," Lena warned. "Not without the proper magical charms."

"I can always shove her back into the stasis field," he suggested and Lena shot him a withering look.

"Don't you dare."

Mrs. Beakley groaned, collapsing onto the floor. Their squabbling died as they looked at her. Her eyelids fluttered and he was instantly at her side.

"Bentina? How are ye feeling?" he asked.

"Like an evil sorceress possessed me and then used me like a puppet," Mrs. Beakley retorted. "How do you think I feel, Mr. McDuck?"

Lena snickered.

"We need to come up with a more permanent solution," Scrooge said. "And for that, we'll have to consult my library."

Mrs. Beakley cast her gaze about for Magica and Scrooge produced the dime. In it, Magica was glowering at everyone. She was impotent for the moment, but Scrooge knew that once she figured out how to unleash herself, she would. She couldn't possess a dime, after all. And whatever magic Scrooge possessed was bound up in the dime…

It suddenly seemed like a terrible idea that she'd dove headfirst into it. He wondered whether she'd figure that out and if she'd reasoned it out before he had. It seemed she had because the dime trembled and he saw a black essence escape it.

"She doesn't have the mojo to craft her body back," Lena said. "But that won't stop her from possessing one of us again."

Magica's essence sailed around the room. Scrooge could almost hear his enemy's thought process. She couldn't take Mrs. Beakley again; she couldn't control her. Lena was out on general principle. That left...him.

Lena was casting her gaze around too and then before Magica had a chance to dive on Scrooge, Lena thrust the amulet up. Magica collided with it, hard enough to make it shake in her hand, and then stopped dead.

"There," Lena said. "The amulet is her staff transformed. She can't access her magic without the dime's power. She can't get to the dime while she's trapped in the amulet. This will have to work until we can come up with a more permanent solution."

"Agreed," Mrs. Beakley said and then groaned, stretching. They heard something crack. "What on earth did Magica do to my body?"

"Probably best you don't know," Scrooge said and Mrs. Beakley scowled.

"All I've done is buy you more time," Lena said and then shot Scrooge a cutting look. "Maybe you ought to actually use it instead of stalling like you did last time."

"Aye, I've learned my lesson," he said and then smiled at her. "Thank you, Lena."

"You owe me big," Lena warned. She folded her arms across her chest. She then looked around. "If Magica's not bound to Mrs. Beakley and she's not bound to me anymore, then…"

"She's not bound to anyone. You're free, lass. You have your freedom," he said softly.

Lena looked shell-shocked. "I have my...I have my freedom. I have my freedom!"

"That's very nice and I'm happy for you, Lena, but we still need to figure out where Webbigail and Gosalyn went," Mrs. Beakley pointed out.

Lena's phone buzzed and she took it out of her pocket. "They're at Darkwing Duck's lair. And it looks like things are...oh, I can't believe she said this. They're about to...get dangerous."

* * *

"Well, well, well," Negaduck sneered. "I was wondering when you'd show up."

Darkwing glowered back. It had taken him three hours to locate him and it was approaching midnight. Something told him he'd missed an obvious clue, but he didn't care. His chest was tight and he balled his fists. Negaduck had also robbed him of his trademark appearance by popping up behind him on the top of First Bank of St. Canard's roof.

"I am the terror that flaps in the night-" he started, irritated that Negaduck might upstage him.

"You are the spoiled fruit that ruins the whole basket," Negaduck said. "Blah blah blah. No one cares."

"What did you do to Morgana?" Darkwing demanded. "And hey, no one steals my lines!"

"I wondered when you'd notice," Negaduck scoffed. He approached him with a malicious gleam in his eyes. "You really are slow, Darkwing Dunderhead. Morgana's mine by rights. To the victor go the spoils."

"But she's not a spoil. She's a person!" Darkwing protested, appalled that Negaduck would even consider that. Then again, Negaduck was a psychopath. Perhaps he considered everyone pawns on a giant game board. Darkwing stiffened his resolve.

Negaduck shrugged. "She's mine now. It doesn't matter how I got her."

"You reverse whatever you did to her this minute!" he demanded.

"Oh, look, here she comes," Negaduck retorted and Morgana glided toward him. "Where are the brats?"

Morgana was sporting a black eye, a swollen lower lip, and a limp. Darkwing felt awful for her and then realized who had given her said injuries. Pride in Gosalyn flashed through him. She gave as good as she got. His pride vanished; did this mean his little girl was hurt? He didn't want to worry about that. Then he'd be too focused on her to fight.

"They called in reinforcements," Morgana said. "Negaduck, we need to talk."

The four most dangerous words in the English language. And probably in other languages too, although Darkwing didn't speak anything besides English.

"You can't fight this," Negaduck countered. He faltered. "You can't, right?"

Morgana drew a deep breath to brace herself. She balled her fists too and seemed to be readying herself. Whatever it was, it sure was taking a while. What was the hold-up?

"I think we should see other people," Morgana said and caught Darkwing's eye. She winked and all at once, his knees weakened and he nearly fell over. Maybe she was still under Negaduck's spell, but not 100% anymore. That was something to build on if he could exploit it.

"Oh, and…"

She pulled back an arm and punched Negaduck square in the beak. She followed it up with another vicious uppercut and then kneed him in the groin. While he was recovering from that, she kicked him in the back and punted him to the rooftop.

"Morgana?" Darkwing said quietly. "Morg?"

"You creep!" Morgana snapped. She looked up at Darkwing. "Oh, Dark? Did you want a crack at him?"

"Not to be too picky, Morg, but you were on his side the last time I saw you…" he pointed out.

"Oh, that," she said. "We settled that an hour ago."

_An hour ago…_

"I don't know what I'm doing," Lena protested. Morgana hadn't gone down easily and they'd needed to subdue her in order to facilitate this. "I could make her worse."

"I'll take that chance," Morgana said, restrained again, this time to a chair, as the teenager stared at the amulet. Lena closed her eyes and concentrated. Morgana could help redirect the spell if asked to; with access to magic, she ought to be able to fix the problem herself. All she needed was for someone to nudge the spell aside for a minute so she could breathe.

Tendrils of magic escaped the amulet and slid, welcome, into Morgana's chest. Morgana redirected them and felt the ominous power over her lifting. The weight was disappearing and she felt free, unencumbered, as if she'd been trapped under a heavy weight for days now and it was just lifting. She could cry with happiness.

"Did it work?" Webby asked.

"Yes," Morgana said and grinned at them. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a duck to beat senseless."

At their shocked looks, she elaborated. "Negaduck. I mean Negaduck. Not Dark. Never Dark."

"Should one of us go with her?" Webby asked.

"I'll keep an eye on her," Lena promised. "Of course, if she does attack Darkwing, there's not much I can do besides tackle her."

She shrugged.

"That won't be necessary," Morgana promised. "Now, would someone untie me?"

_The present…_

"Did you want me to save some for you?" Morgana repeated.

"You know, I think I'm good," Darkwing said, afraid to get in between her and Negaduck. Morgana looked positively feral, which was oddly sexy. Perhaps after she'd healed, they could go on another date. Watching her beat the tar out of Negaduck was also attractive.

Morgana shrugged. "Suit yourself."

She set to beating Negaduck with a vengeance.

"That's my girl," Darkwing said. "You  _are_  my girl, aren't you?"

"Yes," she said as she pummeled Negaduck. "I'm yours, Dark. I'm sorry."

He watched her beat Negaduck senseless and wished he'd brought popcorn. This was quite a show. Glancing around, he pulled out his phone and set it to record. He wanted to save this moment for prosperity.


	9. Epilogue

Negaduck was in jail, Darkwing and Morgana were finally on their date, and Lena had her freedom. At present, Gosalyn, Webby, and Lena were sitting and playing with tarot cards. Gosalyn claimed she was an expert, Lena thought she was full of it, and Webby was just enjoying her sister and her new best friend playing together. She thought she could get used to this.

 

It looked like everything had worked out, although appearances could be deceiving. After all, evil never rested. It took vacations, but it never quit entirely. And Negaduck was too persistent and malicious to let Darkwing and Morgana enjoy their time alone for long.

 

But Webby wouldn’t think about that. For one thing, it wasn’t her problem. For another, they’d modified Negaduck’s memory to erase the last few days so that he couldn’t remember what Morgana had told him about Darkwing’s secret identity and Gosalyn, not to mention the house. Webby thought that if Lena wanted to learn more about magic, she could probably ask Morgana. After all, Morgana was much safer and less evil than Magica de Spell.

 

Speaking of Magica de Spell, the sorceress was locked in the amulet, put in a stasis field, and then secured with the Fort Knox of spells. Morgana had assured them she wouldn’t be getting out any time soon and they had no choice but to believe her, because otherwise, they would have serious problems down the line. Besides, Morgana was on their side, wasn’t she? Webby was pretty sure she was.

 

All of this was distracting her from enjoying the tarot card reading Gosalyn was giving with Lena complaining and/or objecting to all of her interpretations. Webby decided to leave the whole mess be for now. She smiled, enjoying the moment and the argument. She had a home, she had her sister, she had her best friend, and there was nothing threatening on the horizon. She was happy.

* * *

 

Negaduck, by contrast, was livid. He was also shackled and hobbled around the jail cell. St. Canard’s police had taken no chances with him, even after Morgana had beat him to a pulp. He seethed, plotting his revenge. Let Darkwing and the others enjoy their victory for now. He’d get him back. He’d get them all back.

 

Sitting on his uncomfortable, lumpy cot, he laughed and laughed. A sane person listening to that might’ve had chills go down their spine. But Negaduck hadn’t been sane in a very long time. 

* * *

Darkwing had asked Gosalyn if she wanted to spend the night with Webby, mostly because he’d wanted her out of the house. Still, he had pretended that this was a treat for her rather than for him and it’d worked, because she’d read into it what she’d wanted. Darkwing was half awake now, staring at Morgana with the lights dim, romantically so. She was so beautiful and he was so lucky. 

 

“I’m sorry for the things I did, Dark,” Morgana said quietly. They were sitting on the couch and her head was on his shoulder. “I never meant to hurt you. I love you. It was tearing me apart inside to attack you and the girls.”

 

“I knew all along that you weren’t yourself,” he boasted and she gave him a flat look.

 

“Either you did and you’re a jerk or you didn’t and you’re lying to save face,” she countered. “And I bet I know which one it is.”

 

“Uh...I’m not a jerk?” he suggested.

 

“Oh, Dark,” she said and shook her head ruefully. “I love you so much, but you can be painfully dense.”

 

“I can not! Take that back!”

 

“I’ll do you one better,” she purred and he was instantly at attention. Leaning forward, she brushed her beak against his and then pulled him into her arms. He wouldn’t have to pick up Gosalyn until morning. They had the whole night to themselves and the house.

 

And he was going to enjoy every second of this.

  
  



End file.
